Emergency Food Stamp Vendor Accountability Act of 1976
Public Law 94-339 · S. 2853 · 94th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on Jul 5, 1976 · Agriculture and Food
Sponsor: Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC)
Cosponsors (31): Sen. Robert Dole, Sen. James Buckley,
Passage votesYeaNay
- HouseRecorded vote: 407 yea, 0 nay407–0
- SenateRecorded vote: 71 yea, 0 nay71–0
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Emergency Food Stamp Vendor Accountability Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to prescribe regulations governing the manner in which funds derived from the distribution of coupons shall be deposited by coupon vendors, under the Food Stamp Act of 1964. Requires such regulations to provide that, at a minimum, such deposits be made weekly. Deems coupon vendors as fiduciaries of the Federal Government for funds derived from the distribution of coupons. Directs the Secretary to require by regulation that upon the deposit of such funds vendors shall give written notice to the State agency. Directs the Secretary to require by regulation that vendors send at least monthly reports to him regarding their operations.
Directs the Secretary to develop by regulation a procedure for determining and monitoring the level of coupon inventories in the hands of vendors. Requires the Secretary to prescribe regulations governing the delivery of coupons to vendors and the custody and care of coupons.
Prescribes a penalty of $3,000 and/or a one-year imprisonment for failure to comply with this Act. Prescribes a penalty of $10,000 and/or a ten-year imprisonment for providing false information under this Act.
Defines "coupon vendor" to mean any person, partnership, corporation, organization, political subdivision, or other entity with which a State agency has contracted for, or to which it has delegated administrative responsibility in connection with, the issuance of coupons to households.
Who voted for it
Every senator of the 94th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 76 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.
76 yea0 nay24 present or did not vote
Democrats who voted yea(46)
- Sen. James AbourezkD-SD
- Sen. William ProxmireD-WI
- Sen. Dick ClarkD-IA
- Sen. Gaylord NelsonD-WI
- Sen. Mike MansfieldD-MT
- Sen. George McGovernD-SD
- Sen. Floyd HaskellD-CO
Sen. Ted KennedyD-MA- Sen. Philip HartD-MI
- Sen. William HathawayD-ME
- Sen. John DurkinD-NH
Sen. Patrick LeahyD-VT- Sen. Birch BayhD-IN
- Sen. Thomas EagletonD-MO
- Sen. Edmund MuskieD-ME
- Sen. Alan CranstonD-CA
- Sen. Fritz HollingsD-SC
- Sen. Hubert HumphreyD-MN
- Sen. Adlai StevensonD-IL
- Sen. Dale BumpersD-AR
- Sen. Quentin BurdickD-ND
- Sen. Frank MossD-UT
- Sen. Claiborne PellD-RI
- Sen. Dee HuddlestonD-KY
Sen. Robert ByrdD-WV- Sen. Harrison WilliamsD-NJ
- Sen. Scoop JacksonD-WA
- Sen. Warren MagnusonD-WA
- Sen. Abraham RibicoffD-CT
- Sen. Wendell FordD-KY
- Sen. John GlennD-OH
- Sen. Howard CannonD-NV
- Sen. Robert MorganD-NC
- Sen. Jennings RandolphD-WV
- Sen. Lawton ChilesD-FL
- Sen. Dick StoneD-FL
- Sen. John JohnstonD-LA
- Sen. Samuel NunnD-GA
- Sen. John SparkmanD-AL
- Sen. Gale McGeeD-WY
- Sen. Russell LongD-LA
- Sen. Herman TalmadgeD-GA
- Sen. John StennisD-MS
- Sen. James EastlandD-MS
- Sen. Harry ByrdD-VA
- Sen. James AllenD-AL
Republicans who voted yea(30)
- Sen. Clifford CaseR-NJ
- Sen. Edward BrookeR-MA
- Sen. Richard SchweikerR-PA
- Sen. Jacob JavitsR-NY
- Sen. Charles MathiasR-MD
- Sen. Robert StaffordR-VT
- Sen. Charles PercyR-IL
- Sen. Mark HatfieldR-OR
- Sen. Lowell WeickerR-CT
- Sen. Hugh ScottR-PA
- Sen. James PearsonR-KS
- Sen. Robert PackwoodR-OR
- Sen. Hiram FongR-HI
- Sen. Milton YoungR-ND
- Sen. William RothR-DE
Sen. Pete DomeniciR-NM- Sen. Robert DoleR-KS
- Sen. Robert TaftR-OH
- Sen. Howard BakerR-TN
- Sen. Robert GriffinR-MI
- Sen. Strom ThurmondR-SC
- Sen. Dewey BartlettR-OK
- Sen. Jake GarnR-UT
- Sen. Paul LaxaltR-NV
- Sen. William ScottR-VA
- Sen. Clifford HansenR-WY
- Sen. John TowerR-TX
- Sen. James McClureR-ID
- Sen. Paul FanninR-AZ
- Sen. Jesse HelmsR-NC
Data notes
The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 750 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Jul 5, 1976Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 94-339.
- Jun 23, 1976PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Jun 22, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed House, roll call #427 (407-0).House roll call 427
- FloorFloor · Measure called up under motion to suspend rules and pass in House.
- Jun 18, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Agriculture Committee
- Apr 9, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Agriculture Committee
- Apr 8, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended, roll call #139 (71-0).Senate roll call 139
- Mar 29, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Jan 21, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.