Just before final passage, the House voted, 248 to 149, to 149, to send the measure back to the Ways and Means com mittee for adoption of a spe cific amendment to the section providing that welfare recipi ents must accept available work.

This parliamentary maneu ver, accomplished by the lead ers of both parties who were backing the bill, achieved two purposes.

First it blocked bitter oppo nents of the entire welfare bill from making a recommital mo tion of their own with instruc tions to eliminate the entire Family Assistance Plan. Only one recommital motion is per mitted by House rules.

Second, it appeared to make the bill more attractive to con servatives by increasing the pressure on welfare recipients to take jobs. But, on closer ex amination, it probably did not alter the original content of the bill.

The new Family Assistance Plan, which is substituted for the present Aid to Dependent Children Program, would guar antee families a minimum an nual income of $500 for each parent and $300 for each child, or $1,600 for a couple with two children.

For the first time, the work ing poor—people with marginal learnings—would also qualify for benefits. A family of four with no income would get the full $1,600. As its earnings in creased, the benefit would taper 1off, disappearing when total wages reached $3,920.

The Work Requirement

All recipients would be re quired to register for work with the local employment service and accept training or jobs as they become available. This “work incentive” feature was a major point cited in the debated by Representative Wilbur D. Mills, the Ways and Means Committee chairman, and other supporters of the program.