(a) The Governor shall appoint a commissioner to serve at the Governor’s pleasure. The commissioner shall be appointed on the basis of education, ability, and experience in handling veterans’ affairs, and without regard to political affiliations. The commissioner shall be a resident of this state, shall be a veteran who served on active duty for a period of 60 days or more in the Armed Forces of the United States, and shall have been honorably discharged. The commissioner’s salary shall be set by the Governor and shall not be subject to Section 36-6-6. (b) The commissioner shall be the executive and administrative officer of the department and may issue administrative orders and directives to all officials and employees in the department. (c) The department, acting through the commissioner, shall be the designated agency of this state to represent the state and its veterans before the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or any other agency dealing with the interests of veterans. (d) The commissioner, in consultation with the board, may enter into reciprocal agreements with other states to render services in this state to veterans who are nonresidents. (e) The commissioner shall appoint all assistant commissioners, district managers, and veteran service officers as provided in this chapter, fix salaries, and establish minimum standards of service. This power shall be without regard to any limitation established by law, unless any law passed hereafter shall refer specifically to a particular officer or employee of the department. (f) The commissioner shall appoint all personnel in the department as authorized or may be authorized in the future under the state Merit System and approved by the State Personnel Board. (g) The commissioner may engage in activities designed to educate, recognize, and promote the mission of the board to veterans, the public, potential applicants, and other public agencies and, in doing so, may incur marketing expenditures for educational, informational, and promotional items to be used to further its purposes.
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