A. Effective July 1, 1999, all duties relating to administration of the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act shall be transferred from the Oklahoma Tax Commission to the State Treasurer. Funds sufficient to administer the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act shall be appropriated to the State Treasurer for fiscal year 2000. All funds related to the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act shall be transferred to the control of the State Treasurer on July 1, 1999. Provided, fiscal year 2000 shall be a transitional year in which the State Treasurer shall gradually assume complete administration and management over the program and staff currently carrying out the administration of the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act. The State Treasurer and the Tax Commission shall enter into a contract whereby funds shall be paid to the Tax Commission by the State Treasurer throughout fiscal year 2000 in exchange for the Tax Commission’s agreement to continue to operate the program. During this transition year, the employees assigned to the Unclaimed Property Division shall continue to be employees of the Tax Commission without loss of classified status. Effective July 1, 2000, the Unclaimed Property Division shall be administered by the Office of the State Treasurer. Prior to July 1, 2000, the State Treasurer shall identify initial staffing needs for the Unclaimed Property Division. The State Treasurer shall give due consideration for employment to any employee of the Tax Commission who desires to remain employed in the Unclaimed Property Division after July 1, 2000. The State Treasurer shall have complete discretion in selecting staff to perform those duties effective July 1, 2000. Employees of the Tax Commission who are selected and employed by the State Treasurer to perform duties associated with the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act, or other duties, shall not retain their classified status. The Tax Commission shall make every effort to retain any classified employee in the Unclaimed Property Division in other comparable classified positions at the Tax Commission if the employee is not offered employment with the State Treasurer.

B. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A of this section, nothing shall preclude the State Treasurer from entering into cooperative arrangements with other state agencies, including the Tax Commission, to provide services relating to the administration of the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act after July 1, 2000.

C. The Tax Commission shall not use any information or evidence obtained in the course of examination of records of any person pursuant to the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act for purposes of investigation or enforcement of any state tax law.

D. Effective July 1, 1999, all administrative rules promulgated by the Tax Commission pursuant to the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act shall be transferred to and become a part of the administrative rules of the State Treasurer. The Office of Administrative Rules in the Secretary of State’s office shall provide adequate notice in the Oklahoma Register of the transfer of rules, and shall place the transferred rules under the Administrative Code section of the State Treasurer. From and after July 1, 1999, any amendment, repeal or addition to the transferred rules shall be under the jurisdiction of the State Treasurer.

Added by Laws 1999, c. 10, § 1, eff. July 1, 1999.