Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Boards Commissions Task Force topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Governor’s office seeks task force to study boards; lawmakers push for board expertise and public input
Summary
Representatives from the governor’s office told the committee a task force would review boards and commissions for duplication and recommended moving the task force to the governor's office; lawmakers pressed for board representation and protections for federally required or advisory boards.
Officials from the governor’s office described an amendment to shift a task force into the governor’s office to evaluate state boards and commissions for duplication and possible consolidation. Chris Joseph, general counsel for the governor, and JC Schaefer, deputy chief of staff, said the change is aimed at improving efficiency and cited other states’ board‑reduction efforts as models.
Schaffer and Joseph said the initial focus included boards such as professional soil classifiers; they noted North Dakota is one of a small number of states that maintain a separate soil classifier board and said that some professionals supported moving certification functions into the Department of Water Resources (DWR) while preserving public input. Lawmakers including Senator Lee and Senator Castaneda asked why board members were not explicitly included on the task force and urged the committee to ensure subject-matter expertise is part of the evaluation process.
Governors’ office representatives said affected boards would have opportunities to present to the task force and that members could be added if the committee prefers; they also agreed to consider public comment and suggested a phased approach to consolidation. The committee decided to merge multiple amendment packages and continue the bill next week for additional drafting and member review.
