A lawyer in state Comptroller Dan Hynes' office was suspended for two weeks without pay Monday because he used a state computer to forward an e-mail containing a political column about one of Hynes' opponents in the race for U.S. Senate.

G. Allen Mayer of Peoria, assistant counsel of the office who spends some of his time in Springfield, said he received and relayed a copy of Bernard Schoenburg's Sunday column in The State Journal-Register about Senate candidate Blair Hull.

"This is a violation of office policy that will not be tolerated," Hynes said through spokesman Alan Henry. "The employee has been suspended for two weeks without pay. The matter will be referred to our inspector general to determine whether further action is warranted."

When he was promoted to staff attorney in January 2003, Mayer's pay went to $57,000 annually.

Mayer referred questions to Henry late Monday. Earlier, Mayer said he received the column on his home e-mail account from Carolyn Brown Hodge of Paris, former president of Illinois Democratic Women. He said he forwarded it, but did not identify the location of the computer used.

Hodge, now director of rural affairs for Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, said Monday that she sent the e-mail from her home computer to a list of recipients at their home computers. She said she works to ensure the list doesn't include any government computers.

Hull and Hynes are among seven Democrats running for U.S. Senate in the March 16 primary.