SESSION CALLED FOR FISHER PROBE:

In late May Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry authorized a special session of the Oklahoma Legislature in order that the committee looking into alleged infractions by Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher can complete its investigation. The special session convened May 19, 2004, concurrent with the regular session, which was scheduled to end May 28. Legislators are considering whether to bring articles of impeachment against Fisher. The commissioner is facing criminal charges in Oklahoma County that include allegedly embezzling money raised in connection with an insurance education program and operating a charity illegally, among other things. The investigating panel is also looking into the circumstances surrounding Fisher’s reported acceptance of $30,000 worth of artwork and office furniture received from entities with insurance department connections. According to the House Media Division, the measure establishing the impeachment proceedings, HR 1040, noted that Fisher is also under investigation for paying Florida lawyer Norman Taplin more than $35,000 for “attorney fees and expenses.” Taplin was reportedly paid with a check Fisher wrote “from the account of an insurance company that was forced into conservatorship by the Insurance Commissioner.”