1.   Also Wednesday, House and Senate panels approved giving a cost-of-living adjustment to veterans with service-connected disabilities.

2.   A congressional panel today overwhelmingly approved a bill that would lift strict rules on the export of computer-scrambling technology.

3.   A House agriculture panel approved an overhaul of government pesticide laws, including new requirements to speed government decisions on approval or removal of agricultural chemicals from the market.

4.   A Senate panel approves a bill to convey to California a parcel of land in Ward Valley for a low-level nuclear waste dump.

5.   A Senate panel has approved a bill designed to limit the ability of health insurers to refuse coverage to people based on their medical condition.

6.   A three-judge panel approves most requests to expand his investigation, and Starr provides scant details about how he is spending money.

7.   A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel approved only part of its application to sell its light therapy drug Photofrin, used to treat early stages of lung cancer.

8.   A U.S. Senate panel today approved Sheila Anthony to fill a vacant slot on the Federal Trade Commission.

9.   After agreeing to privatize space shuttle construction and streamline several programs, a House panel approved a scaled-down NASA budget Tuesday.

10.   After lengthy deliberations, an FDA panel conditionally approved the procedure in July.