Iowa Governor Signs Bill to Overhaul and Reorganize State Government.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill that will reduce the number of state agencies from 37 to 16, giving her more power to hire, fire, and set salaries for top officials. The law will also eliminate several hundred state government positions, primarily through cutting vacant positions, consolidating office space, and sharing technology between agencies. Democrats have criticized the law's expansion of the governor's powers and argued that agencies like the state's Office of the Consumer Advocate and Department of the Blind will be more subject to political pressure because of the restructuring.