An act to adjust target prices for the 1980 and 1981 crops of wheat and feed grains; to extend the disaster payment programs for the 1980 crops of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice; and to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to require that producers of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice not exceed the normal crop acreage for the 1980 and 1981 crops.
Public Law 96-213 · H.R. 3398 · 96th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Mar 18, 1980 · Agriculture and Food
Sponsor: Rep. Glenn English (D-OK-6)
Cosponsors (7): Rep. Jack Hightower, Rep. Richard Nolan,
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
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.
Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1980 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to set the established per bushel price for 1980 crops at $2.35 for corn and $3.63 for wheat. Requires that the 1981 price crop established prices for corn and wheat not be less than the 1980 established prices, adjusted upward to reflect such changes in the costs of production as the Secretary of Agriculture finds necessary and appropriate for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a fair and equitable relationship between loan rates, established prices, and production costs for corn and wheat and competing commodities.
Extends disaster payment programs to cover the 1980 crops of rice, upland cottons, feed grains, and wheat.
Amends the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 to limit to $100,000 the total amount of disaster payments which a person is entitled to receive under one or more of specified annual programs for each of the 1980 and 1981 crops of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice.
Amends the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 to authorize the Secretary to require, as a condition of eligibility for price support loans, purchases, and payments under the Agricultural Act of 1949 for the 1980 and 1981 crops of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice, that producers not exceed the acreage on the farm normally planted to crops designated by the Secretary, adjusted as deemed necessary by the Secretary to be fair and equitable among producers. Requires that the acreage for any farm normally planted to crops designated by the Secretary be reduced by any set-aside or diverted acreage. Authorizes the Secretary to increase the established price for any such commodity by the amount the Secretary determines appropriate to compensate producers for participation in the program for such commodity and any required set-aside with respect to such commodity, whenever the Secretary requires such compliance with the normal crop acreage. Requires the Secretary, in determining such increases, to take into account changes in the cost of production resulting from such program participation and required set-aside. Authorizes the Secretary to increase the established price for any other commodity as determined necessary for effective program operation, if the established price for any such commodity is increased. Requires the Secretary to adjust any such increases to reflect any land diversion payments for the commodity for which an increase is determined.
Allows producers of the 1980 crop of any commodity, who exceed the acreage on the farm normally planted to crops designated by the Secretary, to receive loans and purchases and payments based on the established price for a commodity as determined under the applicable provisions of the Agricultural Act of 1949 in effect on the data preceding the date of enactment of this Act.
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. 22 actions.
- Mar 18, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-213.
- Mar 7, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Mar 6, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- Mar 5, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Mar 4, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to conference report.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in Senate: Senate agreed to conference report.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to conference report.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in House: House agreed to conference report.
- Feb 28, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 96-789.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed: Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 96-789.
- Feb 4, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference scheduled in Senate.
- Dec 20, 1979Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference scheduled in House.
- FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- Dec 4, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Nov 9, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Nov 8, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed House.
- Jun 21, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Appropriations Committee
- May 30, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Agriculture Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Appropriations Committee
- Apr 3, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Agriculture Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
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.