{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-150.061","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 150.061","heading":"Commissioner -- Appointment -- Qualifications -- Term -- Removal --","body":"Vacancies in office -- Compensation -- Oath -- Bond -- Duties -- Annual report\n-- Salary structure guidelines -- Authority to appoint additional employees if\ngrant funds available.\n(1) (a) Notwithstanding any provisions of KRS Chapter 18A, 42, 45, 45A, 56, or 64\nto the contrary, the commission shall have the sole authority to appoint a\ncommissioner of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, who shall be\na person:\n1. With knowledge of and experience in the requirements for the\nprotection, conservation, and restoration of the wildlife resources of the\nCommonwealth;\n2. Who has demonstrated active participation in hunting, fishing, or both\nfor ten (10) years prior to appointment;\n3. Who, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, has held a\nhunting and fishing license in Kentucky or another state for at least the\nprevious ten (10) consecutive years; and\n4. Who has not served on the Department of Fish and Wildlife R esources\nCommission or in the General Assembly for at least two (2) years.\n(b) The commission shall be the sole contracting body for the purposes of KRS\nChapter 45A and shall submit any proposed personal service contract with a\ncommissioner to the Governme nt Contact Review Committee for its review\npursuant to KRS 45A.690 to 45A.725. The commissioner shall serve for a\ndefined employment contract term not to exceed four (4) years and shall be\nsubject to:\n1. Annual review by the commission in closed, executive session;\n2. Removal by the commission for the same cause and in the same manner\nin which the Governor may remove a member of the commission;\n3. Reappointment by the commission; and\n4. Confirmation by the Senate in accordance with KRS 11.160.\n(2) For commissioner vacancies that occur after April 10, 2026, the commission shall\nconduct a national search to identify the best qualified individual to hold the\nposition and carry out the requirements of this chapter.\n(3) The commissioner shall receive such compensation as the commission may solely\ndetermine, and shall be reimbursed for all actual and necessary travel and other\nexpenses incurred by him or her in the performance of his or her official duties.\n(4) Before entering upon the duties of his or her office, the commissioner shall take and\nsubscribe to the constitutional oath of office, and shall, in addition thereto, swear or\naffirm that he or she holds no other public office, nor any posi tion upon or under\nany political committee or party. Upon appointment by the commission, the\ncommissioner shall execute a bond of five thousand dollars ($5,000) in favor of the\nDepartment of Fish and Wildlife Resources, the premium on said bond to be paid\nout of department funds.\n(5) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the commissioner shall be the\nsole appointing authority for the department for the purposes of KRS Chapter 18A\nand shall have general supervision and control of all activiti es, functions,\nappointments, and employees of the department. He or she shall enforce all\nprovisions of the laws of the state relating to wild animals, birds, fish and\namphibians, and shall exercise all powers necessarily incident thereto not\nspecifically conferred on the commission. The commissioner shall make an annual\nreport of all receipts and disbursements and file same with the Secretary of State of\nthe Commonwealth of Kentucky.\n(6) (a) Notwithstanding any provision of KRS Chapter 18A to the contrary,  the\ncommissioner shall establish a salary structure for the sworn employees of the\ndepartment's Division of Law Enforcement that is competitive with the pay\nstructures for other state and local law enforcement personnel in the\nCommonwealth and is adequate  to meet the department's recruitment and\nretention goals.\n(b) The secretary of the Personnel Cabinet established under KRS Chapter 18A\nshall take every action necessary to implement the requirements of paragraph\n(a) of this subsection and to ensure that t he sworn employees of the\ndepartment's Division of Law Enforcement are otherwise subject to the\nrequirements and benefits of KRS Chapter 18A.\n(7) If federal or other grant funds become available to pay their salaries, the\ncommissioner may appoint and emplo y other persons that he or she may deem\nnecessary or desirable to accomplish the purposes of this chapter. The\ncommissioner shall determine the compensation, duties, and terms of employment\nof these employees, and grant funded, time -limited positions shall  be approved by\nthe commission as needed. Employees whose salaries are funded through federal or\nother grant funds shall not be counted in any tally of permanent employees made\nfor employee cap or budgetary purposes.","path":["KRS Chapter 150"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=57852","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:50:43Z","sha256":"f99dd99268f967c16f391e7cbc585916b8ea7f2ee2e3d3370b34da6d94ee9102","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-150.060","next":"us-ky/krs-150.065"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}