Finish work on welfare bill

Dallas Morning News: If you're a mom sitting in a welfare office in Dallas, wondering what Congress might do to your situation, good luck trying to figure it out. The welfare laws proposed by the House and Senate read like ancient Sanskrit. Only a Bible translator would love the unfathomable language, like what constitutes a workweek.
Oh, for clarity in our laws. We could perhaps get some if the two chambers worked out a final bill. They've remained apart for two years, inexcusably extending the legislation eight times.
The most recent impasse is largely Senate Democrats' fault. This spring, they wanted to link a hike in the minimum wage to the welfare bill. That stalled floor debate, as they knew it would. If Senate Democrats really want a new welfare bill, then they should drop the minimum wage request and GOP Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist should put it up for a separate vote this fall.
Sen. Frist also should put the welfare bill back on the Senate floor when Congress reconvenes this fall. Making that decision this week, before Congress enters its August recess, would signal the Senate's willingness to finally renew the 1996 reforms that gave states greater latitude over welfare policies. More than that, they led to more families becoming independent.
After the Senate passes its bill, the House and Senate could start working out the details. The eventual product should mirror the Senate's promise of $7 billion for child care over the next five years. And it should approximate the House's requirement of 37 hours a week of work. The tradeoff should be that Washington helps welfare families afford child care, while parents go to work.
It's easy to get lost in the bizarre language of welfare policy, which we hope both sides clear up. But that's not the important part. What's crucial is that Washington renew this bill so more families in Dallas, Seattle and Tallahassee can stand on their own. That's what this debate is about. And it needs to wrap up this fall.