Legality of state House speaker Todd Hiettâ€™s centennial plan questioned

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The office of Governor Brad Henry questions the legality of House Speaker Todd Hiett's proposal to transfer $3-million from the Department of Commerce to the Oklahoma Centennial

Friday, July 29th 2005, 6:32 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The office of Governor Brad Henry questions the legality of House Speaker Todd Hiett's proposal to transfer $3-million from the Department of Commerce to the Oklahoma Centennial Commission.

Henry has amended a special session call to include emergency funding for financially ailing state prisons and for the commission.

Hiett has resisted that proposal. He says prisons should seek to solve their manpower problems by offering new guards $1,000 bonuses and suggesting the transfer of money to the centennial office.

State House leaders repeated the fund transfer proposal in a news release Thursday, saying it would be similar to a transfer in 1998 under the "Operation Haymaker" project.

The project delivered hay to drought-stricken farm areas.