Kaine: Delegate's deal 'over the line'

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Gov. Tim Kaine says Del. Phil Hamilton's arrangement to secure employment with Old Dominion Univerity is a serious matter.

The Republican speaker of the House of Delegates, Bill Howell, on Monday sought a House ethics panel inquiry into the allegation.

E-mails two newspapers obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show Hamilton and ODU officials discussed a job for him at a new teaching center at the Norfolk college five months before he steered a $500,000 state appropriation to the center.

The Newport News Republican is among a dozen lawmakers who determine the final shape of the state's budget.

Kaine criticized Hamilton's actions on Washington, D.C.'s WTOP radio Tuesday. But he did not call for Hamilton's resignation.