KRS 150.061: Commissioner -- Appointment -- Qualifications -- Term -- Removal --

Vacancies in office -- Compensation -- Oath -- Bond -- Duties -- Annual report

-- Salary structure guidelines -- Authority to appoint additional employees if

grant funds available.

(1) (a) Notwithstanding any provisions of KRS Chapter 18A, 42, 45, 45A, 56, or 64

to the contrary, the commission shall have the sole authority to appoint a

commissioner of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, who shall be

a person:

1. With knowledge of and experience in the requirements for the

protection, conservation, and restoration of the wildlife resources of the

Commonwealth;

2. Who has demonstrated active participation in hunting, fishing, or both

for ten (10) years prior to appointment;

3. Who, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, has held a

hunting and fishing license in Kentucky or another state for at least the

previous ten (10) consecutive years; and

4. Who has not served on the Department of Fish and Wildlife R esources

Commission or in the General Assembly for at least two (2) years.

(b) The commission shall be the sole contracting body for the purposes of KRS

Chapter 45A and shall submit any proposed personal service contract with a

commissioner to the Governme nt Contact Review Committee for its review

pursuant to KRS 45A.690 to 45A.725. The commissioner shall serve for a

defined employment contract term not to exceed four (4) years and shall be

subject to:

1. Annual review by the commission in closed, executive session;

2. Removal by the commission for the same cause and in the same manner

in which the Governor may remove a member of the commission;

3. Reappointment by the commission; and

4. Confirmation by the Senate in accordance with KRS 11.160.

(2) For commissioner vacancies that occur after April 10, 2026, the commission shall

conduct a national search to identify the best qualified individual to hold the

position and carry out the requirements of this chapter.

(3) The commissioner shall receive such compensation as the commission may solely

determine, and shall be reimbursed for all actual and necessary travel and other

expenses incurred by him or her in the performance of his or her official duties.

(4) Before entering upon the duties of his or her office, the commissioner shall take and

subscribe to the constitutional oath of office, and shall, in addition thereto, swear or

affirm that he or she holds no other public office, nor any posi tion upon or under

any political committee or party. Upon appointment by the commission, the

commissioner shall execute a bond of five thousand dollars ($5,000) in favor of the

Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, the premium on said bond to be paid

out of department funds.

(5) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the commissioner shall be the

sole appointing authority for the department for the purposes of KRS Chapter 18A

and shall have general supervision and control of all activiti es, functions,

appointments, and employees of the department. He or she shall enforce all

provisions of the laws of the state relating to wild animals, birds, fish and

amphibians, and shall exercise all powers necessarily incident thereto not

specifically conferred on the commission. The commissioner shall make an annual

report of all receipts and disbursements and file same with the Secretary of State of

the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

(6) (a) Notwithstanding any provision of KRS Chapter 18A to the contrary, the

commissioner shall establish a salary structure for the sworn employees of the

department's Division of Law Enforcement that is competitive with the pay

structures for other state and local law enforcement personnel in the

Commonwealth and is adequate to meet the department's recruitment and

retention goals.

(b) The secretary of the Personnel Cabinet established under KRS Chapter 18A

shall take every action necessary to implement the requirements of paragraph

(a) of this subsection and to ensure that t he sworn employees of the

department's Division of Law Enforcement are otherwise subject to the

requirements and benefits of KRS Chapter 18A.

(7) If federal or other grant funds become available to pay their salaries, the

commissioner may appoint and emplo y other persons that he or she may deem

necessary or desirable to accomplish the purposes of this chapter. The

commissioner shall determine the compensation, duties, and terms of employment

of these employees, and grant funded, time -limited positions shall be approved by

the commission as needed. Employees whose salaries are funded through federal or

other grant funds shall not be counted in any tally of permanent employees made

for employee cap or budgetary purposes.