Capitol Briefs: Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Published: March 18, 2008

The state treasurer's office helped a Tulsa woman become an instant millionaire.

Staff in the treasurer's office recently traced more than $940,000 in cash and stock to a Tulsa woman who thought her property was lost forever after stock certificates she had inherited from her father were destroyed.

The woman asked that her name not be used, the treasurer's office said.

Two workers in the treasurer's office drove to Tulsa to track down the woman, according to the treasurer's office. The woman did not have a listed phone number.

The companies that held her stock had been unable to reach her. After holding the stock for a few years, the law required the treasurer's office to sell some of the stock and hold the cash for its rightful owner.

The woman was given a check for more than $404,000 representing the proceeds of the stock sales. She was also presented with 7,258 shares of stock valued about $536,000.

The stock was inherited many years ago from the woman's father. The woman, a former school teacher, is now retired, the treasurer's office said.

The state treasurer's office operates a searchable database on its Web site, www.treasurer.ok.gov. Visitors should click on the "Search for Unclaimed Property” button.

Rep. Jason Murphey has given $8,241.92 from his legislative salary to a Guthrie organization that helps expectant mothers.

Murphey, R-Guthrie, said his donation amounts to the difference between the salary paid to state legislators and the regional average paid to legislators. Oklahoma legislators are paid $38,400 a year.

He said state legislators are the third-highest paid among part-time legislators in the country.

Murphey gave the money to Crossroads, An Open Door for Life Choices, Inc.

The state Senate approved legislation to create a task force to study state agency responsibilities in ensuring imprisoned mentally ill women are successfully reintegrated into society.

The legislation is Senate Bill 1959 by Sen. Constance Johnson, D-Oklahoma City.

She said the state leads the nation in incarceration of women and must begin treating causes.

"It's been said that our prisons are the state's largest mental hospitals, but unfortunately, the kind of treatment needed in these facilities is largely inadequate,” Johnson said.

The task force would be led by the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Department and the Corrections Department, Johnson said. The measure now goes to the House of Representatives.

Capitol Bureau

Comments