Topeka ? Incoming House Speaker Mike O’Neal’s wife will work for the chamber’s Republican caucus, but he said Wednesday that he had nothing to do with her hiring.

Peter Freund, chief of staff for Majority Leader Ray Merrick, said he hired Cindy O’Neal as caucus liaison at $27,000 a year.

She will work full time during legislative sessions, part time the rest of the year. This year’s session starts Monday.

O’Neal, a Hutchinson Republican, said he did not talk to Freund or Merrick about hiring his wife.

Freund said she will report to him and Merrick, a Stilwell Republican.

“This is her deal, not mine,” the incoming speaker said. “I’m not the person doing the hiring, and I have no supervisory authority over her.”

Mike O’Neal said he obtained legal opinions that Freund’s hiring of Cindy O’Neal didn’t violate the law. She has worked for the Legislature for the past 21 sessions, including serving as Judiciary Committee secretary when her husband was its chairman. She was hired by the Legislative Administrative Services.

“I wanted to do everything by the book, and we made sure we were doing everything by the book,” Mike O’Neal said.

The anti-nepotism law makes it illegal for a state officer or employee to cause or push for the employment, promotion or transfer of a family or household member to a state position.

“On her own, she made application to the majority leader and they took it from there,” O’Neal said. “In all fairness to Cindy, as long as I’m not involved in the hiring decision, there is nothing wrong with that.”

Freund said her salary will come from the speaker and majority leader budgets, as will all caucus staff members.

“We think the benefits outweigh the skepticism by a few people in the building,” he said.