-- Passage or expansion of tax credits for companies that transport donated food, construct or refurbish homes affordable by low-income people or hire the poor. (Instead of adding specialized credits that merely counteract some of the disincentives created by existing law regulation, and litigation, Congress should pass a general tax credit for poverty-fighting donations from individual taxpayers, but that's unlikely to happen.)

 -- Charitable liability reform to expand protection for contributors of vehicles and other equipment to nonprofits. (This is one area where we have seen legislative progress through measures such as the Volunteer Protection Act and the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act.)

 -- Creation of a commission that would review existing federal social service programs with the goal of expanding use of vouchers. Social service vouchers -- currently used in child care, housing and the new Access to Recovery program for drug treatment services -- increase consumer choice and minimize governmental pressure on faith-based groups to segment religious content from provision of services.

 Two measures originating with CC members of the House of Representatives would also accent the positive. One is the education tax credit bill of Trent Franks, R-Ariz, that I wrote about two weeks ago, and the other is a resolution advanced by George Radanovich, R-Calif., to encourage Americans to increase the amount of our charitable giving from an average of 2 percent to 3 percent.

 Will Congress act, or merely talk some more? Don't hold your breath, but you might expend some of it asking legislators neither to ignore poverty problems nor to throw money at them. The better way is to help the poor gain challenging, personal and often spiritual help.