(a) There is hereby established the legislative research department whose head shall be the director of legislative research and who shall be appointed by the legislative coordinating council to serve under its direction. The director of legislative research may be removed from office by a vote of five (5) members of the legislative coordinating council taken at any regular meeting of such council. The director of legislative research shall receive such compensation as is determined by the legislative coordinating council. Such director, and any of his or her assistants specified by the legislative coordinating council, shall receive expenses and allowances for in-state and out-of-state travel as is provided by law for members of the legislature. Such director shall appoint such assistants and employees of the legislative research department as are authorized by the legislative coordinating council and shall set their compensation subject to the approval of such council. Such director and all assistants and employees of the legislative research department shall be in the unclassified service.

(b) The legislative research department shall perform legislative research functions and such other duties as are directed by the legislative coordinating council.

(c) The legislative research department shall provide staff services to all special committees, select committees and standing committees meeting when the legislature is not in session, and to the extent possible, accomplish the following:

(1) Assist each committee chairman in planning the work of the committee, and in accordance with the chairman’s instructions prepare an agenda for each meeting.

(2) Appropriately notify committee members, staff and other interested persons of meeting times and other information as directed by the committee chairman.

(3) Prepare minutes of each committee meeting to show attendance, disposition of agenda items, tentative and final committee decisions and staff instructions, and such other matters as may be helpful to the work of the committee.

(4) Prepare and present research information in accordance with committee instructions or instructions of the committee chairman.

(5) Obtain attendance of persons for committee presentations or testimony. In cases of compulsory process, work with the office of revisor of statutes and office of attorney general to obtain satisfactory results.

(6) Prepare interim reports of committee work when the same is requested of a committee by the legislative coordinating council. Any such report shall have committee approval before transmission.

(7) Prepare final committee report in accordance with committee instructions; the same to include relevant information, committee policy recommendations, and to the extent possible, appropriate bill drafts prepared by the office of revisor of statutes.

(8) Receive and analyze agency requests for appropriations and prepare fiscal information for appropriate legislative committees.

(d) Special committees, select committees and standing committees are expected to utilize the foregoing staff services to the extent the same are available in making all studies.