The Great Homework Debate

Yesterday I was asked to join a committee that will change the way teachers assign grades at my school. I was told very clearly that it wasn't IF we were going to change things, it was HOW we were going to change things, and did I want to be a part of the decision making process? Hell yeah, I said. Like I'm going to pass up a chance to spout off my two cents.
Anyway, the big deal is that there are state standards we are responsible for teaching in each subject. These are the standards that students are tested on at the end of the year by way of AIMS. For example, in 7th grade math, one of the standards is that students should be able to find a percent of a number. On their AIMS test, there are some questions that will assess whether or not the student can perform that task.
How does all this relate to homework? I'm getting there.
Ever since the dawn of high stakes testing (meaning pass this test or you get held back), there has been a lot of talk about whether or not grades should reflect how a student performs on their tests. Some students can never do a lick of homework, and as a result fail a class, and then perform very well on their tests. The general movement seems to be that if a student can perform on the state standards, he/she should receive a passing grade in the class, regardless of work ethic. We can't have kids doing well on AIMS and getting F's on their report card in the same year. Our grades need to match how the students are actually performing on the state standards.
Here's the rub: There is no test in real life that will give a kid a paycheck for being smart. People get paychecks because they show up for work every day and do their jobs. Now, there are exceptions to this rule; I realize that, and so does every other teacher out there. We teach the state standards, but that is not ALL we teach. Part of school is learning to be responsible, and part of the teacher's job is to hold students accountable for doing their work. When all these changes take place, students will be able to have a C on their report card without doing any homework at all. Part of me thinks that is fine - if they don't need the extra practice, they shouldn't have to do it. But the other part says hold up! There will most likely come a day when the tasks they have to perform don't come to them naturally, and then they will need the practice! And when that day comes, they will have no work ethic, no study habits, no idea how to actually sit and practice on their own! Just because they can do 7th grade math without batting an eyelash, that doesn't mean they will get to precalculus in a few years and understand everything the first time around.
So the debate continues. Am I overestimating the teacher's responsibility in shaping the work ethic of the child? I know for a fact there is too much homework being assigned at my school. Some teachers assign it just because they think it's expected. Getting rid of that kind of thing will be a definite bonus. On the other hand, it just goes against the fiber of my being to think a kid should not have any homework, ever, or should be able to blow it off and not have any consequences.
Thoughts? Ideas?