Statewide Iowa — Republican Governor Kim Reynolds says she’s filling openings on the state Board of Public Health so it can conduct business this fall.
When the terms of several board members expired at the end of June, it left just four members on the 11-person board. The panel’s July 14th meeting had to be cancelled. Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst and other Democrats say that’s unacceptable.
The governor says the board was able to conduct business in meetings every other month throughout the pandemic and had its last business meeting in May.
The board is now scheduled to meet in early September, 119 days after its last meeting in May. The panel’s members have the power to propose and repeal state regulations and to advise the governor on health related topics. Last fall, the group passed a resolution urging Reynolds to adopt a statewide mask mandate.
