WASHINGTON (AP) — When Congress gets back to work after Labor Day it will have the chance to achieve something that has largely eluded it for the entire year, passing legislation that might actually create jobs.

With the battering debate over the debt ceiling over, the stage is set for Congress to approve and President Barack Obama to sign three big free-trade agreements and the most significant overhaul of the patent system in 60 years.

Legislative hitches can never be discounted, but both the trade and patent measures enjoy bipartisan support from lawmakers eager to show they can make a difference in improving the feeble job market.

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