Although lawmakers have not focused on the issue of Mr. Wall's continuing in his current post, they inevitably will.

Our lawmakers should quickly focus on reforming our antiquated, undemocratic election system.

But the restrictions did not receive much attention because lawmakers were focusing on more basic questions about how the new program should be designed.

Though most lawmakers have focused their attention on Mr. Bush's $670 billion plan to reduce taxes over 10 years, his complete tax agenda is much broader than that.

Other critics say while raising the tobacco purchase age was laudable, Nassau's lawmakers, in particular, should focus on county problems like gang violence and drug trafficking.

At today's hearing, lawmakers focused on the future, not the past.

Mr. Bruno said lawmakers should focus on tax relief and reinstating the death penalty for killers of law enforcement officers, among other issues.

So the lawmakers focus on school aid to the exclusion of other education issues.

But Democratic lawmakers have focused most of their ire on what they have called "royalty giveaways" to oil and gas companies.