1. The division may appoint or employ such persons as may be necessary to the proper administration of this chapter. All salaries to clerical employees shall be fixed by the division and approved by the labor and industrial relations commission. Beginning January 1, 2006, the annual salary of each administrative law judge, administrative law judge in charge, and chief legal counsel shall be as follows:
(1) For any chief legal counsel located at the division office in Jefferson City, Missouri, compensation at two thousand dollars above eighty percent of the rate at which an associate circuit judge is compensated;
(2) For each administrative law judge, compensation at ninety percent of the rate at which an associate division circuit judge is compensated;
(3) For each administrative law judge in charge, compensation at the same rate as an administrative law judge plus five thousand dollars.
2. The salary of the director of the division of workers' compensation shall be set by the director of the department of labor and industrial relations, but shall not be less than the salary plus two thousand dollars of an administrative law judge in charge. The appointees in each classification shall be selected as nearly as practicable in equal numbers from each of the two political parties casting the highest and the next highest number of votes for governor in the last preceding state election.