31.  A bill creating civil unions for gay couples passed the Vermont House of Representatives and is expected to gain approval from the Senate and Gov. Howard Dean in April.

32.  A lawyer representing regulators said the FDIC hopes to gain board approval next month.

33.  A school-age child who cheats with friends or siblings may do it initially because he thinks he needs an edge to gain approval.

34.  A spokeman for Genzyme said submitting data to the FDA a few weeks after TKT should not impact who gains final approval.

35.  A wider trial would have helped ImClone gain approval for the drug in the United States after the FDA rejected its application late last year, citing incomplete data.

36.  A year later, the earnings tax increase easily gained voter approval, but by then Davis had gained a reputation as a high-tax mayor.

37.  After years of waiting for recovery programs to be implemented, he gained approval last February for an expansion of his center.

38.  Already several other regional Bells, such as Ameritech, have tried and failed to gain regulatory approval to offer long-distance service.

39.  But company executives said they did not expect any problems in gaining regulatory approval.

40.  But even as it gained FDA approval, Palomar said another company had sued it for patent infringement over the laser system.