The provisions of this article apply to all state employees except the following:
(a) members, officers, and employees of the General Assembly;
(b) staff of the Governor's Office;
(c) officers elected by popular vote and persons appointed to fill vacancies in the offices;
(d) all judges within the unified court system, all officers and employees of the judicial department, all employees of the Commission on Prosecution Coordination, and all judges, officers, and employees of the Administrative Law Court;
(e) members of boards, commissions, councils, advisory councils, and committees compensated on a per diem basis;
(f) all inmate help in all penal and correctional institutions, residents of charitable and mental health and intellectual disability facilities, and students employed in institutions of learning;
(g) part-time professional personnel engaged in consultant professional services without administrative duties and personnel employed for less than ninety working days per year;
(h) other categories of positions as the General Assembly may elect to exempt from time to time;
(i) athletic coaches and unclassified employees in the athletic departments of post-secondary educational institutions as defined in Section 59-107-10 except the technical education colleges and centers.
(j) Employees of the Medical University Hospital Authority.
(k) staff of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor who report directly to the Lieutenant Governor.