Following the second major legislative deadline for bills last week, State Senator Ken Rozenboom reports week thirteen included work with the House on compromise.

This week, Governor Reynolds signed Senate File 514, a bill that reduces the number of state departments from 37 to 16. Rozenboom says the legislation was the first major reorganization of Iowa state government in 40 years.

“Although this bill was long and had many moving parts, the governor’s concept was pretty simple,” Rozenboom wrote in his weekly news letter. “If the federal government can operate on with 13 cabinet level directors, certainly the State of Iowa can operate on 16 cabinet-level directors. The bill seeks to increase efficiencies and the cost savings over the next four years estimated by the governor’s office to be over $200 million.”

A Legislative Services Agency note did project more modest savings that the Governor’s reported number, based on several factors related to what positions would be cut through attrition. Opponents are concerned that the Governor is attempting to consolidate power, and claim the majority of cost savings would be from federal tax dollars, and not the state’s general fund.