(a) Any full-time hearing officer or equivalent position, used exclusively or principally to conduct or preside over hearings for a covered agency immediately prior to July 1, 1994, shall be administratively transferred to the Office of State Administrative Hearings, if such employee qualifies under Code Section 50-13-40. Any person serving immediately prior to July 1, 1994, as an independent hearing officer or equivalent under contract or written order of appointment shall be administratively transferred to the Office of State Administrative Hearings as of July 1, 1994, and shall continue as a special assistant administrative law judge. All full-time staff of covered agencies who have exclusively or principally served as support staff for administrative hearings shall be administratively transferred to the Office of State Administrative Hearings as of July 1, 1994. All equipment or other tangible property in possession of covered agencies which is used or held exclusively or principally by personnel transferred under this Code section shall be transferred to the Office of State Administrative Hearings as of July 1, 1994.

(b) All such transfers shall be subject to the approval of the chief state administrative law judge and such personnel or property shall not be transferred if the chief state administrative law judge determines that the hearing officer, staff, equipment, or property should remain with the transferring agency.

(c) Funding for functions and positions transferred to the Office of State Administrative Hearings under this article shall be transferred as provided for in Code Section 45-12-90. The employees of the Office of State Administrative Hearings shall be in the unclassified service unless they are in the classified service as such term is defined by Code Section 45-20-2.

(d) The chief state administrative law judge shall assess agencies the cost of services rendered to them in the conduct of hearings.

(e)

(1) Any full-time hearing officer of the State Personnel Board used exclusively or principally to conduct or preside over hearings for such board immediately prior to July 1, 1997, shall be administratively transferred to the Office of State Administrative Hearings if such employee qualifies under Code Section 50-13-40. Any person serving immediately prior to July 1, 1997, as an independent hearing officer under contract or written order of appointment shall be administratively transferred to the Office of State Administrative Hearings as of July 1, 1997, and shall continue as a special assistant administrative law judge. All full-time staff of the State Personnel Board who have exclusively or principally served as support staff for administrative hearings conducted by such hearing officers shall be administratively transferred to the Office of State Administrative Hearings as of July 1, 1997. All equipment or other tangible property in possession of the State Personnel Board which is used or held exclusively or principally by personnel transferred under this subsection shall be transferred to the Office of State Administrative Hearings as of July 1, 1997.

(2) Funding for functions and positions transferred to the Office of State Administrative Hearings under this subsection shall be transferred as provided for in Code Section 45-12-90.