(1) State and local government officials and supervisory personnel shall recruit, appoint, assign, train, evaluate, and promote personnel on the basis of merit and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, creed, political ideas, sex, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, or national origin.
(2) All state and local governmental agencies shall:
(a) promulgate written directives to carry out this policy and to guarantee equal employment opportunities at all levels of state and local government;
(b) regularly review their personnel practices to ensure compliance; and
(c) conduct continuing orientation and training programs with emphasis on human relations and fair employment practices.
(3) The department of administration shall ensure that the entire examination process, including appraisal of qualifications, is free from bias.
(4) Appointing authorities shall exercise care to ensure utilization of minority group persons.
(5) Compliance with 2-2-302 and 2-2-303, which prohibit nepotism in public agencies, may not be construed as a violation of this section.
(6) For the purposes of this section, employment does not refer to or include services provided by an individual working under an independent contractor exemption certificate issued under 39-71-417.