Formal Legislative Advisory Opinions
This section lists formal advisory opinions issued by the Legislative Ethics Committee to legislators pursuant to section G.S.120-104 and G.S.138A-13(b).
Legislators may request recommended formal advice from the Ethics Commission or formal advice directly from the Committee. The Ethics Commission publishes formal advisory opinions issued by the Legislative Ethics Committee within 30 days of receipt from the Committee. Unless the legislator authorizes the publication of an unedited version, as noted below, the Committee edits the opinions as necessary to protect the requester's identity.
The Legislative Ethics Committee also issues "Ethics Principles and Guidelines" applicable to members of the General Assembly.
| Year | Advisory Opinion | Description | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | AO-LEC-23-001 | Conflict of Interest Analysis Regarding Former Gaming Client In accordance with G.S. 120-104(g), Speaker Moore has authorized the publication of an unedited version of this opinion. | G.S. 138A-37(a) |
| 2021 | AO-LEC-21-001 | Conflict of Interest Analysis and General Class Description | G.S. 138A-37(a) and G.S. 138A-38 |
| 2018 | AO-LEC-18-001 | Reconsideration of New Voter Letters | G.S. 120-104(f), G.S. 120-104(c), G.S. 120-104(g), and G.S. 163A-157 |
| 2017 | AO-LEC-16-001 | Acceptance of Expanded Gas Products Service Grant. In accordance with G.S. 120-104(g). Senator Jackson has authorized the publication of an unedited version of this opinion. | G.S. 138A-31, G.S. 138A-37(a), and G.S. 138A-38 |
| 2016 | AO-LEC-15-005 | Concurrent Service as Member and as County or City Attorney. In accordance with G.S. 120C-104(g), Speaker Moore authorized the publication of an unedited version of this opinion. | G.S. 138A-31 and G.S. 138A-37(a) |
| 2015 | AO-LEC-15-003 | Use of Legislative Resources to Send Letters of Recommendation | G.S. 138A-31(b) |
| 2015 | AO-LEC-15-004 | House Bill 127 (DOT Condemnation Changes) Duty to Vote, Conflict of Interest Analysis, and Recusal Process | G.S. 138A-38(a)(1), G.S. 138A-31(a), and G.S. 138A-37(a) |
| 2014 | AO-LEC-14-002 | Legislator's Official or Legislative Action Resulting in Benefit to Member of Legislator’s Extended Family | G.S. 138A-31 and G.S. 138A-38 |
| 2014 | AO-LEC-14-001 | Legislator Solicitation of Funds for Certain Tax-Exempt Organizations | |
| 2013 | AO-LEC-13-001 | Use of Constituent Information | |
| 2013 | AO-LEC-13-002 | Application of Ethics Laws to Legislator's Employment at a Private Company | G.S. 138A, G.S. 120 and G.S. 120C |
| 2012 | AO-LEC-12-001 | Further Guidance on the Use of Legislative Resources to Send New Voter Letters | G.S. 120-104(a) and G.S. 138A-13(e) |
| 2010 | AO-LEC-10-001 | Legislator Acceptance and Reporting of Trip Expenses | G.S. 138A-32(c) and G.S. 138A-24(a)(8) |
| 2009 | E-09-0002 | Legislator Bidding on State Construction Contracts | G.S. 138A-31(a), G.S. 138A-37(a), and G.S. 138A-32(a) |
| 2009 | AO-LEC-09-002 | Legislator Attempting to Eliminate State Funding for Contract Employee's Position with State University | G.S. 120-86.1 |
| 2009 | AO-LEC-09-001 | Proceeding with Legislation After Receiving an Offer from a Lobbyist to Assist Legislator's Constituent if Legislator Discontinues Work on Legislation | G.S. 138A-32(a) |
| 2009 | AO-E-09-0001 | Whether Legislators and Legislative Employees May Solicit and Obtain Monetary or In-Kind Contributions from Lobbyist Principals in Order to Provide Support for the 2009 Southern Legislative Conference Annual Meeting. In accordance with G.S. 138A-13(e), Senator Garrou and Representative Howard have authorized the publication of an unedited version of this opinion. | G.S. 138A 32(c) and G.S. 120C-303(d) |
| 2008 | E-08-0001 | See AO-E-09-0001 | G.S. 120-104(a) and 138A-13(e) |
| 2008 | E-08-0003 | Disclosure of Extended Family Member's Business and Customers on Statement of Economic Interest | G.S. 138A-31(a), G.S. 138A-37(a), and G.S. 138A-38 |
| 2007 | LEC-07-001 | Use of Legislative Postage and Stationery to Send Communications upon the Occurrence of a Significant Event, Letter to Newly-Registered Voters, and Holiday Greetings. See also AO-LEC-12-001 | G.S. 138A-24 |
| 2007 | E-07-0001 | Legislator Participation in Official Actions | G.S. 138A-37 and 138A-38 |
| 2007 | E-07-0002 | Legislator Participation in State Government Task Forces | G.S. 138A-31 and 138A-37 |
| 2007 | E-07-0003 | Participation in Legislative Actions Concerning a Nonprofit and Acceptance of Meals | G.S. 138A-32 and 138A-37 |
| 2007 | E-07-0004 | Legislator Acceptance of Trip Expenses | G.S. 138A-31 and G.S. 138A-32 |
| 2007 | E-07-0006 | Speaker Gift Ban Exception | G.S. 138A-32(c) and G.S. 138A-32(e)(3) |
| 2007 | E-07-0007 | Legislator Participation in Official Actions that Would Benefit Spouse's Business | G.S. 138A-37 |
| 2007 | E-07-0008 | Solicitation of Donations for Charitable Organization Food Drive | G.S. 138A-31(b) and 138A-38(b) |
| 2007 | E-07-0009 | Attendance at American Legislative Exchange Council Meeting | G.S. 138A-37 and 138A-38 |
| 2007 | E-07-0010 | Donations to a Charitable Organization Organized by Members of the General Assembly | G.S. 138A-32 |
| 2007 | E-07-0011 | Acceptance of Honoraria for Graduation Speech | G.S. 138A-32(h) |
| 2007 | E-07-0012 | Legislator Teaching at a UNC School and Conflicts of Interest | G.S. 138A-37(a) |