41.   A few lawmakers were deliberately coy when asked about their plans.

42.   A national settlement would require congressional approval, and Republican leaders in Congress have said lawmakers are not likely to take up the matter this year.

43.   A Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman, said lawmakers were wrong to suggest that the Defense Department was not aggressively seeking an answer to the health problems of veterans.

44.   A summer mood suffused the Capitol for the debate, which was timed for Flag Day celebrations Saturday when the lawmakers will be home.

45.   Administration officials and Capitol Hill lawmakers are meeting through this week, seeking to craft a compromise balanced budget plan.

46.   After the Ballard-led call to abolish TAAS, Sadler hinted that lawmakers were tiring of a board they see as out-of-touch.

47.   All but three Hispanic lawmakers are Democrats and all but two represent majority-Hispanic districts.

48.   Alexander said part-time federal lawmakers would be more in touch with their constituents and less focused on the politics of Washington.

49.   All the lawmakers attending were chairs of congressional committees or subcommittees focused on the war on terrorism.

50.   All three lawmakers are chairmen of House committees and subcommittees, and signing the petition would defy their party leaders.