RALEIGH (AP) -- An elections board ruling in the case of state Representative Thomas Wright and tougher ethics rules are restricting what lawmakers may legally do for nonprofit groups.
The state Board of Elections sent Wright's case to a prosecutor for review after a hearing. Evidence showed he may have fabricated a tax identification number for a health foundation and told a state official to fabricate a state grant to help the foundation get a bank loan.
The Legislature's ethics committee is considering whether to investigate the New Hanover County Democrat's actions.
While committees and prosecutors do their thing, more scrutiny had been placed on all relationships between legislators and lawmakers. New ethics rules restrict legislation that can be proposed by a lawmaker who serves on a nonprofit board.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
