WASHINGTON--An independent committee formed by a sponsor of President Bush's faith-based initiative sent the Senate today a list of recommendations on how to help faith-based and community groups provide social services without compromising constitutional rights.

The group, however, avoided one of the thorniest issues involving the faith-based debate--charitable choice, a provision in the 1996 Welfare Reform Act that allows churches to receive federal grants without surrendering their religious character.

Led by former senator Harris Wofford, D-Pa., the 33-member group included representatives of groups ranging from the the American Civil Liberties Union to faith-based organizations such as Teen Challenge. Convened by Senator Rick Santorum, R-Pa., a co-sponsor of current Senate legislation on the faith-based initiative, the committee worked for seven months on its report.

''We are very concerned that the public discussion of the faith-based initiative seems to have gotten off-track and mired in charitable choice,'' Wofford said. ''The focus should be on encouraging faith-based groups to get involved and do more to meet human needs.''

Among the recommendations in the report: requiring churches that operate social service programs with federal funds to create separate non-profit corporations or enter into partnerships with existing non-profits; barring racial discrimination in employment policy even if that policy is ostensibly based on religious beliefs; asking Congress and the executive branch to take steps to increase the participation of small service organizations in federal programs.

Panel member Barry Lynn, the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said he was surprised that there was so much agreement within the group. ''I think this report is a valuable contribution,'' he said. ''I would like to see the Senate move with this framework instead of the legislation that passed the House last year.''

Most of the recommendations by the working group do not require congressional action. Most of them address issues that can be solved in the private sector, such as increasing non-governmental and individual support for faith-based groups to help solve problems such as poverty and drug addiction.

''I want to congratulate the entire panel for their hard work, their open minds, and their willing hearts,'' Santorum said in a press release. ''This report represents an important step forward.'' The senator plans to distribute the report to his fellow members. ''I hope that my colleagues will review the report and return to Washington with an open mind about giving faith and community-based charities a chance to do what they do best--help folks in need,'' Santorum said.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., a co-sponsor of the faith-based initiative, hopes the recommendations will help the Senate build a consensus, according to his spokesman Dan Gerstein. ''This report should serve as a good starting point for the President's plan this year,'' said Gerstein. ''This group has shown it is possible to work together and solve differences. They did not weigh in on the charitable choice debate, but we have plenty of reasons to be hopeful for passage this year.''

Rep. Tony Hall, D-Ohio, who was instrumental in getting the House legislation passed, said he likes the recommendations. ''I think this is workable,'' Hall said. ''And if these people go in and speak to the senators and tell them about the whole experience it will help the senators make a decision. Unfortunately, in the House a lot of members did not have a lot of contact with faith- based groups to tell them how invaluable they are for delivering basic social services.''

The House version of the bill passed by only 35 votes last summer, with most Democrats and some moderate Republicans opposing the measure. The House bill expanded religious groups' access to federal funding. The revised version that has been introduced in the Senate scales back Bush's original plan and does not expand the charitable choice program beyond its current status.

Hall said the recommendations increase his confidence that some form of faith-based initiative will pass the Senate this spring. ''This should be a high priority for us all,'' he said. ''If it doesn't pass we will have a lot of poor who are not served.''

To view the report on the web, visit: www.working-group.org

Hervey Colette's e-mail address is hcolette@coxnews.com.