What state elections law says and how it might relate to some of the testimony offered Wednesday. Any violation is a misdemeanor.

STATE LAW: The treasurer of a political committee shall keep detailed accounts of all contributions received and all expenditures made.

TESTIMONY: Optometrists from across the state said they gave checks with the dollar amount filled in but the payee line blank to the N.C. State Optometric Society political action committee. The PAC held the checks for months without keeping a record of them.

STATE LAW: The campaign treasurer's statement of receipts and expenditures shall list the name and complete mailing address of each contributor of more than $100, the amount contributed, the principal occupation of the contributor and the date such contribution was received. The total sum of all contributions to date shall be plainly exhibited.

TESTIMONY: Optometrists said they gave stacks of checks -- many for $100 -- to the optometrists' political action committee, which doled them out to candidates. In many cases, more than one check from an individual optometrist went to former state Rep. Michael Decker, putting that contributor over the $100 threshold for disclosure. They were not disclosed.

STATE LAW: No political committee shall contribute to any candidate more than $4,000 in any election.

State law also says no candidate shall accept any contribution from any political committee in excess of $4,000 for that election.

TESTIMONY: The optometric society PAC gave Decker $4,000 in late January 2003. The next month, the PAC apparently gave more contributions to Decker using checks from optometrists that were written for $100 or less but did not have a payee written in.

STATE LAW: It is unlawful for any committee to solicit or receive contributions for the purpose of supporting a candidate without first clearly advising those solicited as follows:

* The name of the candidate(s) for whom the contribution will be used; or

* The name of the political committee or party for which the funds will be used; or

* That a decision will be reached later as to the candidate(s) to be supported and that the contributions solicited will be spent for a purpose to be determined at a future date but no later than 20 days prior to the pending primary or general election.

TESTIMONY: The state's optometric society PAC solicited and received contributions but waited months before giving them to a candidate. Decker received funds in this manner after the general election.