The bill proposes to transfer the appointment authority for the Director of the Arkansas Waterways Commission from the commission itself to the Governor of Arkansas. Specifically, it amends Arkansas Code 15-23-203 to state that the Director shall be appointed by the Governor and will serve at the Governor's pleasure. This change centralizes the appointment process and aligns the director's reporting structure with the Secretary of the Department of Commerce.

In the current law, the Arkansas Waterways Commission had the authority to employ a director and set their salary within budgetary constraints. The proposed amendments remove this authority from the commission, thereby streamlining the leadership structure of the commission under the Governor's oversight.