Section 120. Official referees of the court of claims

Every official
  referee  of  the  court  of  claims  in  the  four  respective  judicial
  departments  who,  pursuant  to  former  provisions  of this section, is
  acting and in the discharge of his duties as such official  referee,  at
  the  time  this  section as hereby amended takes effect, may continue to
  hear and determine or hear and report upon any claim against  the  state
  referred  to  him  by  the  court  of  claims,  upon  the consent of the
  attorney-general and the claimant. He shall receive no compensation from
  the parties for his services as such referee. Such a referee also  shall
  render  such  temporary assistance to the court of claims as he shall be
  designated to perform by the  presiding  judge  thereof,  whenever  such
  court  requires such assistance because of the illness of a judge or his
  disqualification to hear a particular matter, and also whenever there is
  such an accumulation  of  work  before  the  court  as  to  render  such
  assistance  necessary  in  order to enable it promptly to dispose of the
  business before it. When so assisting such court, under designation from
  the presiding judge, such referee shall be deemed an acting judge of the
  court and shall have the powers and jurisdiction  of  a  judge  of  such
  court.