KRS 150.022: Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission -- Appointment

processes and conditions -- Ethics requirement -- Prohibition against use of

state seal -- Definition of "sportsman" and sportswoman".

(1) The Department of Fish and Wildlife R esources Commission shall consist of nine

(9) members, one (1) from each commission district, as set out by the commissioner

with the approval of the commission, and not more than five (5) of the same

political party.

(2) (a) The Governor shall appoint the members of the commission subject to

confirmation by the Senate as described in subsection (3) of this section. Each

of the members shall be appointed for a term ending on December 31 of the

fourth calendar year following his or her appointment.

(b) A member whose reappointment is not confirmed by the Senate while it is in

session shall vacate his or her seat upon the date of sine die adjournment of

the session in which the confirmation was declined. Otherwise, a member's

term shall continue until his or h er successor is duly appointed and confirmed

by the Senate, but no later than one (1) year following the expiration of the

member's term. If after one (1) year a successor has not been duly appointed

and confirmed by the Senate, the commission member's sea t for that district

shall be vacant until a successor is duly appointed and confirmed by the

Senate.

(c) A member shall serve no more than two (2) full terms, not including any

partial term that a member may additionally serve. A person who has been

convicted of a felony offense, in Kentucky or under the law of any other state,

or any other law of the United States shall not be eligible to serve on the

commission.

(3) (a) Vacancies through the expiration of terms of the members of the commission

shall be fi lled by appointment by the Governor from a list of five (5) names

from each commission district, recommended and submitted by the sportsmen

or sportswomen of each respective district.

(b) When the term of a member expires, the commissioner shall call a mee ting of

the sportsmen and sportswomen in that district not later than thirty (30) days

prior to the expiration of the member's term. At least thirty (30) days before

the meeting is called, the commissioner shall provide notice of the location,

date, and ti me of the meeting. Notice of the meeting shall be given by

publication pursuant to KRS Chapter 424.

(c) At the meeting, the sportsmen and sportswomen in attendance shall select and

submit to the Governor a list of five (5) residents and citizens of the dis trict,

each of whom:

1. Is either an experienced hunter, angler, trapper, or biologist;

2. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, has held a hunting

and fishing license in Kentucky for at least the previous five (5)

consecutive years; and

3. Is well informed on the subject of wildlife conservation and restoration.

(d) A person desiring to be a member of the commission shall, at least fifteen (15)

days prior to the meeting conducted in accordance with paragraph (c) of this

subsection, present to a representative of the department an affidavit, duly

signed and sworn, with accompanyin g documentation setting forth in detail

how he or she complies with the qualifications and requirements of this

subsection. The department shall make a determination based off of the

affidavit and documentation submitted by the applicant whether he or she

meets the qualifications and provide a list of the qualified applicants to the

commission before the meeting.

(e) Each sportsman or sportswoman may vote for one (1) candidate only, and the

list submitted to the Governor shall be made up of the names of the five (5)

candidates receiving the five (5) highest vote totals.

(f) The Governor shall appoint a successor to the member whose term has

expired no later than January 20 of the year following the year in which the

member's term expired.

(4) Upon appointment to the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission,

each member of the commission shall execute a bond of one thousand dollars

($1,000) in favor of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, the premium

on this bond to be paid out of department funds.

(5) In the event of vacancies other than by expiration, the Governor shall fill the

vacancy for the unexpired part of the term from the names remaining on the list

previously submitted for the district from which the vacancy arose. An appointee

chosen under this subsection shall not serve on the commission until duly

confirmed by the Senate.

(6) Each member of the commission shall take the constitutional oath of office.

(7) The Governor shall remove any member of the commission for cause under

subsection (2) of this section and may remove a member of the commission for

nonfeasance, neglect of duty, or misconduct in office; but shall first deliver to the

member a copy of all charges in writing and afford to him or her an opportunity for

an administrative hearing to be conducted in accordance with KRS Chapter 13B.

(8) Each member of the commission shall be entitled to reimbursement for actual and

necessary traveling and other expenses incurred by him or her in the discharge of

his or her official duties and to be paid from the game and fish fund.

(9) A majority of the commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any

business, for the performance of any duty or for the exercise of any power vested in

the commission. At the commission's f irst meeting after sine die of the regular

session of the General Assembly of each year, it shall elect from among its

members a person to serve as chairperson of the commission for the coming

calendar year.

(10) The department shall have its principal off ice in Franklin County, and is authorized

to purchase all supplies, equipment, and printed forms and to issue any notices and

publications as the commissioner may deem necessary to carry out the provisions of

this chapter.

(11) Within one (1) year of his o r her initial appointment to the commission, a

commission member shall complete three (3) hours of executive branch ethics

training conducted by the Executive Branch Ethics Commission established under

KRS Chapter 11A. Each commission member shall complete three (3) hours of

executive branch ethics training each year that he or she serves on the commission

thereafter. Current commission members shall complete their initial three (3) hours

of executive branch ethics training within one (1) year after April 10, 2026.

(12) Official logos, decals, or emblems used by the department or that bear the state seal

shall not be used on any vehicle, except in accordance with KRS 186.065. Members

of the commission shall not place official department logos, decals, or em blems

with the state seal on any personal vehicle used by them. This subsection does not

apply to the placement of bumper stickers or any other decals or emblems that are

not used by the department to designate the vehicle as a state-owned vehicle.

(13) The word "sportsman" or "sportswoman" as used in this section shall mean a

resident hunter or fisherman or fisherwoman who has been licensed in Kentucky for

each of the past two (2) consecutive years.