U.S. Rep.

Phil English, R-3rd, last week joined other congressional members in a tour of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., which is under investigation for problems involving veterans' care.President Bush recently announced he had ordered a review of conditions at military and veterans' hospitals, which have been overwhelmed by injured troops from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.The review came after disclosures of poor outpatient health care at Walter Reed.English, following his tour, released the following statement: "The (March 9) tour satisfies me that the new leadership is moving to address the conditions that have attracted public criticism."However, there are still substantial unanswered questions regarding disability determination for wounded soldiers and problems with paperwork processing at Walter Reed and possibly elsewhere in the system."My findings make me determined, more than ever, to get to the bottom of this, make sure it does not happen again and push from a congressional standpoint to guarantee rigorous standards of care and housing for all of our wounded personnel."U.S. Rep.

Jason Altmire, D-4th, meanwhile, praised the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives for its oversight into the matter."The documented pattern of neglect at Walter Reed goes back at least three years. Yet previous congresses did nothing,"Altmire said. "But just (last week), the new Congress held four separate hearings on the treatment of our wounded soldiers."———State Attorney General

Tom Corbett will be the guest speaker at the Butler County Republican Spring Dinner on April 12 at the Atrium, Route 422 in Prospect.The event will begin with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by the dinner at 6:30 p.m., said

Art Rauschenberger, GOPcommittee chairman.Tickets are $25 per person for the reception and $32.50 per person for the dinner unless paid for by April 1. If paid for by April 1, the reception is $20 and the dinner is $28.50.To make reservations, call dinner chairwomen Cindy Fry at 724-865-9891 or Mary Jane Double at 724-445-3836, or Rauschenberger at 724-287-2794.———Pennsylvanians will have better and easier access to information about their state government under a series of rule changes in the House of Representatives adopted Monday, said state Rep.

Brian Ellis, R-11th.House rules govern the general operations of the state House, including personnel administration and the processes by which bills and amendments are considered."The citizens of this commonwealth should be able to easily access information about what's been voted upon and how their representatives voted on it," Ellis said. "Salary information should also be readily available to ensure we remain responsible stewards of the people's money."Ellis is also pleased with some procedural changes that will empower rank-and-file members and ensure all members have a fair amount of time to review a piece of legislation before being asked to vote on it.These changes include limiting the hours of House session to between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m., and requiring a 24-hour waiting period after a bill is last amended until it can be voted upon.———The state Senate Banking and Insurance Committee last week endorsed legislation that would provide a strong financial incentive for people to invest in long-term care insurance.State Sen.

Don White, R-41st, is its chairman.The committee also approved a bill introduced by White to give the Department of Insurance additional power on health insurance company mergers and a bill to help prevent insurance company insolvencies.One bill would create the Long-Term Care Partnership Program, which would provide a financial incentive for individuals to buy LTC insurance. It is intended to give people the opportunity to protect their personal assets by buying the insurance, White noted.White's bill would give the Insurance Department oversight power over mergers involving nonprofit health care insurers, such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield. The department already has oversight power over mergers involving for-profit companies.