Governor Branstad’s bid to end state licensing for barbershops, social workers, mental health counselors and other health care professionals ended abruptly this week.
“I think it would open the door for poor actors to pretend to be professionals and I think it would be a significant and possible harm to the public,” says Representative Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican from Wilton.
Kaufmann literally ripped a copy of the bill in half after taking testimony from critics of the legislation and announced the bill was “killed” for the year. Kaufmann is chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee and he says that panel may set up a process this spring to review the long list of state boards and commissions.
“I actually think there’s an appetite among both parties to see what makes sense as far as boards and commissions to be combined and to be cut,” he says.
Kaufmann says a task force may be assembled this summer to thoroughly examine the duties of state boards and commissions and come up with a realignment plan.