AN ACT relating to Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources conservation officers and declaring an emergency.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 150 to establish qualification requirements, salary schedules, and rate structures for conservation officers employed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and exempt them from the requirements of KRS Chapter 18A; establish years-of-service requirements for the salary schedules; establish terms and conditions for conservation officer promotions to sergeant, lieutenant, and captain; limit the number of supervisory officers to a ratio not to exceed one supervisor for every five nonsupervisory officers; require that no promotion to a higher rank shall be made without competing for the position with other officers as required by the section; prohibit discrimination based on race, sex, age, national origin, color, religion, creed, or political affiliation in the officer promotional system; provide that salary supplements received from the Law Enforcement Foundation Program Fund pursuant to KRS 15.460(1)(e) shall be in addition to the amounts established in the salary schedules in the section; require that beginning on July 1, 2023, annual adjustments to the salary schedules be made to incorporate increases in the Consumer Price Index; allow the commissioner for the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to establish ranks above those established by the section; amend KRS 150.090 to make the commissioner's authority with regard to employment actions subject to the requirements of the Act; require that funds needed to meet the salary requirements of the Act be paid from the game and fish fund established in KRS 150.150 and not the general fund; effective July 1, 2022; EMERGENCY.