In an important advance in the Government's effort to cut its deficit and reduce market pressures that have humbled the economy, the lower house of Congress tonight decisively approved a change in social security benefits for civil servants after four earlier attempts had been defeated.

Following the Senate's lead, the House today decisively approved a bill to field a system to defend the country against a limited long-range missile attack.

Members of the New York Times unit of the Newspaper Guild of New York decisively approved a new contract with the newspaper yesterday that is to run through the year 2000, guild officials said last night.

In this period of marked fiscal constraint and diminished public resources, voters decisively approved all five.

Proposition 187, the anti-illegal immigration initiative approved decisively by California voters on Tuesday, may well turn out to be a classic case of unintended consequences.

The House Judiciary Committee decisively approved a bill today that would establish a seven-day waiting period for the purchase of handguns, opening the way for the full House to act on the measure in about two weeks.

As had been predicted, the Senate today decisively approved the increase in the financial transactions levy, by a 64-to-12 vote.

The House of Representatives decisively approved a bill today that would establish a seven-day waiting period on handgun purchases, beating back a vigorous challenge by opponents of gun control who said the measure would punish law-abiding gunowners.

The Piétrasanta report is further evidence of this since it decisively approves the action we have carried out throughout this time and encourages us to move forward.