(a) The office of Chief Deputy Attorney General is hereby created and shall be established. The Chief Deputy Attorney General shall be appointed by the Attorney General, shall serve at the pleasure of the Attorney General and shall be a commissioned officer of the State of Alabama. The chief deputy shall possess the qualifications required by law for election as Attorney General.
(b) The Chief Deputy Attorney General shall have all the power and authority heretofore or hereafter conferred by law on the Attorney General, which he or she may exercise in the absence of the Attorney General. The chief deputy shall also perform such duties and exercise such powers as the Attorney General may direct.
(c) The Chief Deputy Attorney General shall be entitled to receive compensation, salaries, expenses or benefits in the same manner as provided for deputy attorneys general. The compensation, salary, expenses and benefits of the chief deputy shall be paid from the State Treasury in the same manner that the salary or expenses of employees in the classified service are paid.