U.S. Rep.

Phil English, R-3rd., has asked the House Republican Leadership to call for a vote on the federal minimum wage bill before the House breaks in August."It has been nearly 10 years since Americans earning the minimum wage have been given a raise. It is time for Washington to set aside the petty partisan politics surrounding this issue and act for American workers," English said.English recently joined a group of 25 moderate House lawmakers in a letter urging U.S. House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, to bring legislation to the House floor that would raise the federal minimum wage.English was an original sponsor of the 1996 Quinn-Riggs-English amendment to raise the federal minimum wage to today's rate of $5.15.———U.S. Reps.

Melissa Hart, R-4th,

and Brian Baird, D-Wash., on Tuesday introduced legislation to lessen the nation's dependence on foreign sources of energy and improve the environment by encouraging the construction of energy-efficient commercial buildings.The Energy Efficient Buildings Act would provides incentives to reduce power consumption in newly constructed buildings and by retro-fitting existing facilities."Since the energy consumed by commercial buildings usually occurs at peak times of the day,"Hart said, "this legislation will reduce the risk of blackouts, lessen our dependence on foreign sources of energy and diminish the amount of pollutants we release into the environment."The Energy Policy Act, signed into law in August 2005 originally outlined guidelines to follow so individuals could take advantage of the energy- efficient commercial buildings tax credit.The Energy Efficient Buildings Act, introduced by Hart and Baird, builds on those incentives by, among other things, increasing the credit from $1.80 per square foot to $2.25 for fully-compliant buildings.———The Department of Military Affairs has awarded state Rep.

Brian Ellis, R-11th, the Pennsylvania Commendation Medal for his meritorious service to veterans and their families.Ellis served as a member of the Pennsylvania Veterans Memorial Commission where he helped in getting support from veterans' organizations, the state Legislature, business and citizens for the funding, construction, operation and maintenance of the Pennsylvania Veterans Memorial.———Applications for the newly expanded Property Tax/Rent Rebate program will be available next February, but eligible recipients can sign up now to get on the mailing list, state Rep.

Brian Ellis, R-11th, announced.This program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians 65 and older; widows and widowers 50 and older; and people with disabilities 18 and older.Lawmakers recently voted to expand property tax and rent relief for seniors by increasing the income limit from $15,000 to $35,000 for homeowners and boosting the maximum rebate for both homeowners and renters from $500 to $650 beginning next year.Applicants can exclude one-half of their Social Security, Supplemental Security Income and Railroad Retirement Tier 1 benefits.The expanded household income limits and rebate amounts are:• Up to $8,000 — $650 rebate• $8,001 to $15,000 — $500 rebate• $15,001 to $18,000 — $300 rebate for homeowners only• $18,001 to $35,000 — $250 rebate for homeowners only.The rebates will be for property taxes or rent paid during 2006 and will be distributed in the summer of 2007.About 420,000 additional residents are expected to receive rebates next year under this expanded program.Pennsylvanians who think they qualify for a rebate can sign up now to have a claim form (PA-1000) mailed to them when the forms are available next year.Those eligible also can sign up by visiting their state lawmakers' offices or Web sites.People who qualified for a rebate this year will automatically receive a form for next year's program and therefore do not need to sign up for the mailing.———The federal Office of Management and Budget released its U.S. deficit forecast for 2006. It has declined from $423 billion to $296 billion.U.S. Rep.

Phil English, R-3rd, a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, in response to the announcement released this statement:"With soaring tax revenues and a budget deficit which has shrunk 30 percent below projections, news reflects the success of pro-growth tax policies enacted by Congress."The statistics prove that a growing economy is key to controlling the budget deficit while meeting our national priorities."I remain strongly committed to supporting an agenda of fiscal discipline and reform while providing American working families with tax relief."The OMB's review noted the deficit is projected to come in at 2.3 percent of the economy which is expected to be 30 percent less than six months ago.