All executive and administrative offices, agencies, and instrumentalities of the executive department of state government and their respective functions, powers, and duties, except for the office of governor and lieutenant­governor, shall be allocated by law among and within not more than twenty departments by no later than June 30, 1968. Subsequently, all new powers or functions shall be assigned to departments, divisions, sections, or units in such manner as will tend to provide an orderly arrangement in the administrative organization of state government. Temporary commissions may be established by law and need not be allocated within a principal department. Nothing in this section shall supersede the provisions of section 13, article XII, of this constitution, except that the classified civil service of the state shall not extend to heads of principal departments established pursuant to this section.

[As amended November 3, 1970 ­­ Effective upon proclamation by the Governor, December 7, 1970. (See Laws 1969, p. 1246.)]