HARRISBURG -- Two anti-gambling Republican legislators stepped up their attack on the state Gaming Control Board yesterday, raising questions about whether a consulting contract given to its former director violates state ethics laws.

When Anne Neeb resigned in late May after three years as gaming board executive director, the board decided to retain her as an outside consultant.

The board decided to pay her $15,000 a month for the remaining four months of her term, June through September, plus an additional $60,000 for a consulting contract. Mrs. Neeb, who returned to her native Louisiana for family reasons, is thus getting a total of $120,000 in separation pay.

Reps. Mike Vereb of Montgomery and Paul Clymer of Bucks, in a letter to board Chairwoman Mary Colins, said state ethics laws prohibit a former public official from representing someone before any government agency where he or she had worked "for one year after he leaves that body."

That portion of the ethics laws, they contended, has been construed in the past "to prohibit consulting contracts between a government agency and a former employee for a year following termination of the employment relationship."

There's a second ethics provision that the two lawmakers said could cause trouble for the board. It prohibits an ex-official from entering a contract of $500 or more with his or her former agency "unless the contract has been awarded through an open and public process.''

The two legislators questioned whether there was such a process.

The gaming board said Mrs. Neeb's expertise would help members as they continue to carry out the provisions of Act 71 of 2004, which authorizes 14 casinos in Pennsylvania.

Several Republican lawmakers, including Mr. Vereb, Mr. Clymer and Rep. Mike Turzai of Bradford Woods, criticized the amount of severance money.

They said they want to know if the board had sought an opinion from an outside entity, like Attorney General Tom Corbett, on the legality of the contract with Mrs. Neeb.

For months Republicans have criticized the board and its investigative arm, the Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement, for not doing a better job of scrutinizing some applicants for slots licenses, including Don Barden, whose financial problems led the board last week to transfer his slots license to Chicago billionaire Neil Bluhm.

Board spokesman Doug Harbach said the lawmakers' new letter had just arrived, and said the board "will undertake a review and analysis. When we have had the opportunity [to finish the review], we will respond appropriately, given the circumstances."