Two Republican lawmakers talked with FBI agents about bribery allegations in the Utah Legislature, although the FBI would not say Wednesday whether there is an ongoing investigation.

Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, a former police officer, went to the FBI in 2007, telling them that school voucher supporters had offered to pay for his re-election bid if he would vote for their bill.

And Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, said she spoke twice with agents inquiring about Ray's case and another case involving Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper, that was the centerpiece of an ethics battle last fall, and "other issues," which she declined to discuss.

The FBI involvement came to light in audio recordings released this week of closed-door ethics proceedings conducted in October.

In those recordings, former Rep. Susan Lawrence, R-Holladay, told the committee she was also contacted by the FBI after news broke of her allegations against Hughes. She had alleged that Hughes offered her $50,000 if she would drop her opposition to a controversial push to provide state subsidies -- in the form of vouchers -- for private school students.

After more than a week of testimony, the House Ethics Committee dismissed the charges against Hughes.

Hughes said Wednesday he has not been contacted by any law enforcement agencies regarding the ethics complaint against him. He said Lawrence had mentioned being contacted by the FBI, but it makes sense that they would.

"The way I've interpreted all of that, if you have public allegations of misconduct, I think there is a minimum obligation by the attorney general or the FBI to look into those things and inquire, but nothing I know has come of any of them."

FBI special agent Juan Becerra declined to comment, saying the agency does not comment on any investigations.

Judi Clark, executive director of Parents for Choice in Education, the pro-voucher organization that Ray said had approached him, said the group never made such an offer "nor did we even entertain that idea.

"That's not how we work. We don't offer assistance for someone to switch their vote," she said. "And I haven't heard anything about an FBI investigation, nor have I been contacted by them for any reason."

Ray told the Ethics Committee that a voucher lobbyist, whom he declined to name, had told Ray he could have his campaign expenses covered if he voted for vouchers. When he refused, Ray said, the voucher supporters offered $50,000 to anyone who would run against him.

He took his story to the FBI, but said his discussions with the agency were cursory.

"I reported it and was basically told, 'Do you have any evidence?' and I told them 'no, I don't.' They said 'It's your word against their word,'" Ray said. "That was the only time I talked to them."

Allen said in an interview that she spoke twice with FBI agents about the Ray matter, the Lawrence matter, and other issues, but said it would be "inappropriate to say more than that."

She provided agents with ways to contact people who would have firsthand knowledge of the issues, and said both conversations were brief.

The Ethics Committee released many hours of audio recordings of the witness testimony on the Hughes charges. Tapes of deliberations involving the committee were not released.

Hughes said he welcomes the release of the tapes.

"I'm confident that the free flow of information shows I did nothing unethical at all."