(1) The commission acting through the executive director may employ such clerks, stenographers, rate experts, agents, special agents, engineers, accountants, auditors, inspectors, lawyers, hearing examiners, experts and other classified service employees and the commission may contract for services of persons in a professional or scientific capacity to make or conduct a hearing or a temporary or special inquiry, investigation or examination as it deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter, or to perform the duties and exercise the powers conferred by law upon the commission.
(2) (a) When the commission contracts for the services of a person in a professional or scientific capacity to conduct a hearing, temporary special inquiry, investigation, or examination, any nonprivileged final report or recommendation prepared in fulfillment of the contract shall be filed within the record for the case for which the final report or recommendation was prepared at the same time it is provided to the commission.
(b) A contracted person who has prepared and submitted a final report or recommendation pursuant to this subsection shall be required to respond to any written information requests regarding the final report or recommendation. Additionally, the contracted person shall be available for cross-examination as a witness in the case for which the final report or recommendation was prepared and filed at any public hearing held by the commission pursuant to the rules it has adopted.