RALEIGH -- Companies seeking state contracts would have to examine their pasts under a bill approved by a House committee Wednesday. The measure would require companies to determine whether they profited from the 19th-century slave trade in the United States. Democratic Reps. Earl Jones of Greensboro and Larry Womble of Winston-Salem championed the bill. If it became law, companies would have to submit an affidavit stating their research findings but would not have to take specific steps if they should find they profited from slavery.