A bill that advanced past a subcommittee in the Iowa House would bar the state’s public universities from spending money from grants, donations and other nonstate sources without approval by state lawmakers. It’s the latest misguided effort by lawmakers to micromanage universities with dubious justifications.
It doesn’t take much imagination to think up scenarios where such a change would be disruptive and harmful. If the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics receives a grant to conduct pressing medical research, perhaps on a pandemic virus, why should it be required to embark on the cumbersome task of seeking legislative approval?