The fight to curb corporate control inside the Iowa Board of Regents continues

Senator Jeff Danielson’s Regents Accountability and Transparency Act is no longer eligible for legislative debate, but major reform proposals supported by CCI members continue to shape the public discourse

 A tough proposal to crack down on corporate corruption inside the Iowa Board of Regents passed the Iowa Senate on a 49-1 vote on April 2, but is now no longer eligible for legislative debate this session after House State Government committee chair Guy Vander Linden (R-Oskaloosa) refused to move the bill through his committee by the April 5 deadline.But Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (Iowa CCI) members say the fight for greater transparency at the Regents continues, and that our work to hold Regents president Craig Lang and president pro-tem Bruce Rastetter accountable is paying off.“It’s a big victory for grassroots people power to secure a 49-1 vote in the Iowa Senate on an issue like this, and the major ideas contained in the bill will continue to influence public policy for a long time to come,” said Ross Grooters, a CCI member from Pleasant Hill, Iowa.“The best thing for concerned citizens to do right now is to congratulate ourselves on a job well done and then continue to push for the removal of Craig Lang from the Board of Regents by contacting our elected officials here and taking action now”.Senator Jeff Danielson’s (D-Cedar Falls) Regents Accountability and Transparency Act:• mandated 30 minutes of public comment at every board meeting,• created new quarterly hearings in all four of Iowa’s congressional districts every year, and• prohibited revolving door lobbying between an employee of a regents’ private business and any regents institution for up to two years after the initial private employement ended.This bill was proposed in part after CCI members and other community leaders were prevented from addressing the Board of Regents at public meetings last year during the Iowa State/AgriSol controversy surrounding an attempted landgrab in Tanzania by Rastetter's private corporation.Take Action Now by contacting your Senator and telling him to vote no on Craig Lang's confirmation to the Board of Regents