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An act to amend the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to improve food stamp program fiscal accountability through reductions in inaccurate eligibility and benefit determinations; to improve the system of deductions; to increase the specific dollar limitations on appropriations for the fiscal years 1980 and 1981 food stamp programs; and for other purposes.

Public Law 96-249 · S. 1309 · 96th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on May 26, 1980 · Agriculture and Food

Sponsor: Sen. Herman Talmadge (D-GA)

Cosponsors (2): Sen. George McGovern,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 324 yea, 80 nay324–80
  • SenateRecorded vote: 65 yea, 25 nay65–25
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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Food Stamp Act Amendments of 1980 - =Title I: Reduction in Food Stamp Error and Fraud and Revision of Deductions= - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to extend coverage under the food stamp program to shelters that prepare and serve meals for battered women and/or children.

Excludes from household income for the purpose of determining eligibility for the food stamp program payments or allowances made under any Federal, State, or local laws for the purpose of providing energy assistance.

States that the Consumer Price Index referred to in the computation of household income is the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers.

Permits a dependent care deduction from household income up to a maximum of $90 per month under specified conditions. Expands medical deductions for the elderly. Includes medical deductions for the blind and disabled in specified areas.

Directs participating State agencies to elect and utilize, in calculating income for most households applying for food stamps, either of the following two methods: (1) taking into account the income reasonably anticipated in the certification period and the income received during the 30 days preceding application, so as to ascertain the income actually available to the household for the certification period; or (2) using income received in a previous month as the basis in accordance with standards prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture (retrospective accounting).

Excludes from household assets automobiles necessary for transportation of a disabled household member.

Grants State agencies the opportunity to proceed against alleged fraudulent activity by specified means.

Prescribes general standards for State periodic household income reporting requirements.

Prohibits a household from qualifying for the food stamp program as a result of a member of such household going out on strike.

Provides that the income and financial resources of an alien ineligible to participate in the food stamp program shall be considered in determining the eligibility of the household of which such alien is a member. Requires the person certifying such household to immediately report to the Immigration and Naturalization Service that a member of such household is present in the United States in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Requires each State agency to determine the eligibility of applicant households by verifying includable income by specified means. Permits such agency to verify, prior to certification, the size of any applicant household and factors of eligibility for households falling within error-prone household profiles.

Directs each State agency to require the use of photo identification for the receipt of coupons in specified project areas.

Makes cost-sharing funds of 75 percent available to the State agencies for the establishment and operation of an automatic data processing and information retrieval system to provide efficient and effective administration of the food stamp program.

Sets forth the methods the Secretary of Agriculture may use to determine when a State agency has failed without good cause to comply with: (1) the provisions of this Act; or (2) the Secretary's standards for the efficient and effective administration of such program. Permits the Secretary to withhold from such State such funds as he deems appropriate. Grants such State an opportunity for administrative and judicial review of such decision.

Requires a financial audit review of project areas within a State when the ratio of such State's average food stamp participation in a quarter to the State's total population exceeds 60 percent. Limits such mandatory auditing to one audit with any remaining audits to be at the option of the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Agriculture.

Requires the forfeiture of anything of value furnished or intended to be furnished in exchange for coupons or authorization cards in any manner not authorized by this Act.

Authorizes the Secretary to assume specified percentages of the administrative costs of State agencies whose rates of error and/or error reduction are at specified levels.

Directs the Secretary to institute an error liability program under which each State agency shall pay to the Secretary the amount by which the dollar equivalent of the agency's payment error rate exceeds the dollar value equivalent of the national standard payment error rate, or an amount determined by a specified formula, whichever is higher.

Requires the Secretary to change the method of calculating each State agency's payment error rate if, after study, the Secretary determines that it is feasible to include in such calculation invalid decisions denying eligibility to households which are in fact eligible. Declares a sudden and unanticipated workload increases or confusion attributable to significant changes in Federal regulations to be a good cause for failure to meet the Secretary's standards.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit the Commissioner of Social Security to disclose to employees of the Department of Agriculture and State food stamp agencies specified return information as necessary to determine an individual's eligibility for benefits or the amounts of benefits under the food stamp program.

Reduces from 30 to ten days the period in any month during which an able-bodied applicant is unemployed after which such applicant is required to accept employment from a political subdivision or a prime sponsor under CETA to retain eligibility under the food stamp program.

Requires the continuation of cash-out pilot projects through October 1, 1981 under specified conditions. Requires reports describing the results of workfare projects through fiscal year 1981. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to pay 30 percent of the administrative costs of such projects.

Directs the Congressional Budget Office, in consultation with the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, and Labor, to review the Consumer Price Index and other cost-of-living indices to determine which is the most accurate indexation base for the food stamp program. Requires the Office to make a report to the appropriate committees of Congress by February 1, 1981.

Prohibits the use of any authorized funds to impede or interfere with any provision of this Act.

Requires cost-of-living adjustments in the program to be made annually rather than semi-annually.

Eliminates the up-dating of the income poverty guidelines.

Reduces the amount of resources a household may hold and still retain eligibility to participate in the food stamp program.

Limits full-time student participation in the program to those students who are otherwise eligible and who either work 20 hours per week or are exempt from the work requirement.

=Title II: Food Stamp Funding= - Increases the appropriations ceiling for the food stamp program for fiscal years 1980 and 1981.

Who voted for it

Every senator of the 96th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 65 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

65 yea25 nay9 present or did not vote

Dimension 2
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(44)

  • Sen. Gaylord NelsonD-WI
  • Sen. George McGovernD-SD
  • Sen. Howard MetzenbaumD-OH
  • Sen. Paul TsongasD-MA
  • Sen. Harrison WilliamsD-NJ
  • Sen. Joseph BidenD-DE
  • Sen. John CulverD-IA
  • Sen. Robert ByrdD-WV
  • Sen. Paul SarbanesD-MD
  • Sen. Spark MatsunagaD-HI
  • Sen. Bill BradleyD-NJ
  • Sen. Donald RiegleD-MI
  • Sen. Quentin BurdickD-ND
  • Sen. Thomas EagletonD-MO
  • Sen. Scoop JacksonD-WA
  • Sen. Adlai StevensonD-IL
  • Sen. Birch BayhD-IN
  • Sen. Dee HuddlestonD-KY
  • Sen. Jennings RandolphD-WV
  • Sen. Carl LevinD-MI
  • Sen. Warren MagnusonD-WA
  • Sen. Gary HartD-CO
  • Sen. Max BaucusD-MT
  • Sen. Daniel MoynihanD-NY
  • Sen. Donald StewartD-AL
  • Sen. Lawton ChilesD-FL
  • Sen. Patrick LeahyD-VT
  • Sen. Dale BumpersD-AR
  • Sen. Frank ChurchD-ID
  • Sen. James SasserD-TN
  • Sen. John GlennD-OH
  • Sen. Wendell FordD-KY
  • Sen. John MelcherD-MT
  • Sen. Mike GravelD-AK
  • Sen. Herman TalmadgeD-GA
  • Sen. Dennis DeConciniD-AZ
  • Sen. David PryorD-AR
  • Sen. Lloyd BentsenD-TX
  • Sen. Russell LongD-LA
  • Sen. Samuel NunnD-GA
  • Sen. Howell HeflinD-AL
  • Sen. Dick StoneD-FL
  • Sen. David BorenD-OK
  • Sen. Edward ZorinskyD-NE

Republicans who voted yea(21)

  • Sen. Jacob JavitsR-NY
  • Sen. Charles MathiasR-MD
  • Sen. Lowell WeickerR-CT
  • Sen. Robert StaffordR-VT
  • Sen. John ChafeeR-RI
  • Sen. Robert PackwoodR-OR
  • Sen. Charles PercyR-IL
  • Sen. Mark HatfieldR-OR
  • Sen. Henry HeinzR-PA
  • Sen. David DurenbergerR-MN
  • Sen. John DanforthR-MO
  • Sen. William CohenR-ME
  • Sen. Larry PresslerR-SD
  • Sen. Richard SchweikerR-PA
  • Sen. Robert DoleR-KS
  • Sen. Thad CochranR-MS
  • Sen. Howard BakerR-TN
  • Sen. Rudy BoschwitzR-MN
  • Sen. William RothR-DE
  • Sen. Roger JepsenR-IA
  • Sen. Barry GoldwaterR-AZ
Data notes

The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 644 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.

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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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 25 actions.

  1. May 26, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  2. PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-249.
  3. May 16, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
  4. PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
  5. PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
  6. May 15, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to conference report, roll call #235 (324-80).House roll call 235
  7. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in House: House agreed to conference report, roll call #235 (324-80).House roll call 235
  8. May 14, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to conference report, roll call #136 (65-25).Senate roll call 136
  9. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in Senate: Senate agreed to conference report, roll call #136 (65-25).Senate roll call 136
  10. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to recommit conference report to the Committee of Conference rejected in Senate, roll call #135 (29-61).Senate roll call 135
  11. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed in Senate, S. Rept. 96-704.
  12. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed: Conference report filed in Senate, S. Rept. 96-704.
  13. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 96-957.
  14. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed: Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 96-957.
  15. May 13, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference scheduled in Senate.
  16. May 8, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference scheduled in House.
  17. FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, roll call #228 (320-56).House roll call 228
  18. FloorFloor · Motion to recommit to the Committee on Agriculture rejected in House.
  19. Feb 27, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Agriculture Committee
  20. Jul 25, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Agriculture Committee
  21. Jul 23, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended (Text as amended incorporated in H.R. 4057).
  22. Jul 21, 1979FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
  23. Jul 6, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
  24. Jun 11, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
  25. 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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.