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Committee advances bill changing appointments, size and voting status of state Archives and History Board
Summary
A bill to change the size and appointing authorities of the Archives and History Board was reported favorably after debate over partisan balance and the governor’s role; sponsors said the change adds the governor as a voting member and increases appointments by legislative leaders.
A Senate committee reported favorably on Senate Bill 5, which restructures the Archives and History Board by increasing membership and changing appointing authorities.
The sponsor said the measure gives the governor eight appointments, the speaker of the House four, and the Senate pro tempore four, yielding 16 appointed members plus the governor as a voting 17th member. The sponsor described diversity and congressional-district language in the compromise subcommittee version and said the archives department had worked with the sponsor and was neutral on the bill.
“...what this bill does is it gives the governor 8 appointments to the board and it gives the speaker 4 and it gives the pro tem 4 appointments,” the sponsor said, noting provisions to ensure geographic and racial diversity and that some appointments by the speaker and pro tem would come from lists compiled by the minority leader.
Several senators voiced concern that the change could inject partisan balance into what has traditionally been a nonpartisan volunteer board. One senator who said she had chaired boards and commissions recounted bipartisan traditions for appointments and said she was “disheartened” and worried the change could “stack it with more partisan leaning people.” She said, “I just don't think this is the direction that we should be moving in... this bill, the way that it is written now, I shudder to think that it pushes us in the national direction and that's why I'm gonna be voting no.”
Other senators acknowledged the archives board's longstanding volunteer service and that the board typically works to preserve and present history. The committee adopted a subcommittee compromise, then moved and adopted a favorable report; the chair called the long roll and the committee reported the bill favorably.
