Nevada is finally tackling what many conservatives have long criticized – an army of unelected boards and commissions that operate like a “fourth branch of government.” A new reform plan, unveiled Tuesday by Gov. Joe Lombardo’s administration, aims to streamline over 300 boards that currently regulate everything from barbers to building contractors.
Kristopher Sanchez, director of Nevada’s Department of Business and Industry explains:
“This is about bringing accountability back to government. We’ve got boards created decades ago that still meet regularly even when there’s no real work to do. That costs taxpayers and licensees money.”
The Problem’s Scope
Consider this shocking fact: Nevada currently requires licenses for more jobs than almost any other state, impacting over 30% of workers.
That’s a lot of red tape, and it hits small business owners and entrepreneurs especially hard. The reform plan looks a lot like what Iowa just did. There, they cut their boards from 256 down to 111 and reduced bureaucrat appointments by 450 people.
Nevada’s version has five main goals: increase accountability, cut redundancy, lower costs, improve service, and boost economic growth.
“When you’ve got boards created back in the 1800s operating basically unchanged today, something needs to give,” says Nikki Haag, who helps oversee the reform effort. “It’s time to modernize.”
Proposed Changes
The plan calls for automatically shutting down boards that aren’t truly needed anymore. It would set term limits for board members and only hold meetings when there’s actual work to do.
Similar boards would be combined to cut overhead costs, and basic operations would be centralized to save money.
Opposition and Support
Critics, mainly Democrats who control the legislature, worry these changes might weaken oversight of some professions. But supporters point out that fewer boards doesn’t mean less oversight – it means smarter oversight.
Initial estimates suggest merging some board operations could save Nevada licensees about $19 million annually. That’s money that could go back into growing businesses and creating jobs instead of feeding bureaucracy.
What’s Next
What happens next depends largely on the Democratic-controlled legislature. They haven’t been friendly to Lombardo’s proposals in the past – he set a record for vetoes in his first two years. But with clear evidence from Iowa’s success and growing frustration from small business owners, there might be room for compromise.
For conservatives who want to support these reforms, Sanchez suggests contacting state legislators and sharing stories about how the current system affects local businesses. “Real examples from real Nevadans make the strongest case for change,” he notes.
The Conservative Case
The plan touches on multiple core conservative principles: reducing the size of government, increasing accountability of unelected officials, cutting unnecessary spending, and removing barriers to free enterprise.
The reforms would help restore power to elected officials rather than appointed boards, potentially saving millions in administrative costs that are currently passed on to business owners through licensing fees. It also aims to reduce government interference in the marketplace – a key tenet of conservative economic philosophy.
The proposal also emphasizes local control and transparency, with Sanchez noting that many of these boards operate with minimal oversight despite having significant power over Nevada’s economy.
According to the Department’s report, during the 2017 and 2019 legislative sessions alone, 30 new advisory boards were created – the most of any three-year period in state history. This kind of bureaucratic expansion is exactly what conservative policymakers have long warned against.
Impact on Minority Communities
The current system particularly impacts minority and low-income entrepreneurs trying to start businesses in Nevada. According to a 2020 study cited in the reform proposal, 30% of the state’s population is Hispanic, 10% Black, and 9% Asian.
The Goldwater Institute found that Nevada’s high rate of occupational licensing creates significant barriers for these communities, with licensing requirements often preventing low-income residents from starting their own businesses. The reform plan aims to reduce these barriers while maintaining necessary safety standards.
If successful, these reforms could make Nevada more business-friendly while maintaining necessary oversight of professions where public safety is concerned. That’s a balance worth striking, and one that could serve as a model for other states grappling with similar bureaucratic bloat.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
