HARRISBURG -- House Republicans say the state welfare system is broken and they have a plan to fix it.

Yesterday, 16 of them unveiled a package of bills that would cut off cash assistance to recipients who use drugs, institute a 120-day residency requirement for benefits, require electronic fingerprinting for welfare applicants and reduce funding to the Department of Public Welfare if its welfare-to-work program doesn't improve.

"We need to root out welfare fraud, get people back to work and control spending," said House Minority Policy Chairman Mike Turzai, R-Bradford Woods.

During a news conference in the Capitol rotunda yesterday, he criticized the Department of Public Welfare and Gov. Ed Rendell's administration for failing to do a good enough job. Welfare costs are increasing, recipients are staying on the dole too long and too little is being done to prevent welfare fraud, he said.

House Minority Leader Sam Smith, R-Punxsutawney, said he supports the proposed legislation but doubts it will come to a vote before lawmakers' summer break.

One bill would cut cash assistance benefits to recipients who fail drug tests while allowing them to retain medical benefits.

Twenty percent of recipients, selected at random, would be tested each year. Those who fail would be retested 60 days later. If they fail a second time, benefits to their families would be cut for one year.

Rep. Steve Cappelli, R-Lycoming, sponsor of that bill, said he doesn't want to have to cut off benefits to children, but it's an effective way to keep parents off drugs. A 1996 federal law allows welfare benefits to be contingent on drug testing, he said.

Under another bill in the package, the department would lose 10 percent of its administrative budget if it fails to meet federal welfare-to-work standards.

"By setting mandatory work requirements and enforcing penalties if those requirements are not met, Pennsylvania will help more individuals move off government assistance and into the work force," said Rep. Gordon Denlinger, R-Lancaster.

Welfare Secretary Estelle Richman, though, says Pennsylvania met the federal requirement for the first time last April. Then, 51.6 percent of people receiving cash assistance were working or receiving job training. The federal goal is 50 percent.

Nearly 8,000 adults leave the welfare rolls and go to work every quarter, Ms. Richman said.

Mr. Denlinger and other lawmakers also want to make the inspector general's office, which investigates welfare fraud, an independent agency. Currently, that office and the Department of Public Welfare are under the governor's jurisdiction.

Mr. Rendell's administration has turned a blind eye to welfare fraud, lawmakers said at yesterday's news conference.

Ms. Richman says that isn't true.

Every application for benefits is screened through 12 different electronic databases to verify residency, identify sources of income and determine receipt of benefits from other states, she said. About one-third of applications are rejected, she said.

Pennsylvania's 2007-08 welfare program is projected to spend $23 billion in state and federal funds, an increase of 26 percent from five years ago, Mr. Turzai said.

Ms. Richman said most of those dollars go to providing health care and support services to the elderly, the disabled and poor children. Only 3.2 percent is spent on cash assistance programs.

"Costs are most definitely not out of control, nor are services provided to those not entitled to them," Ms. Richman said in a written statement. "Rather, our services to vulnerable Pennsylvanians reflect our shared commitment to help our fellow citizens when they truly cannot help themselves."