An act to provide the Secretary of Agriculture with authority to reduce marketing penalties for peanuts.
Public Law 96-31 · S. 984 · 96th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Jul 7, 1979 · Agriculture and Food
Sponsor: Sen. Herman Talmadge (D-GA)
Cosponsors (9): Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, Sen. Jesse Helms,
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.
Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to authorize a reduction in the amount of any penalty imposed for a particular violation of a marketing quota for the 1978 through 1981 crops of peanuts, if such violation was done unintentionally or unknowingly and if such reduction would not impair the effective operation of the peanut price support program.
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. 11 actions.
- Jul 7, 1979Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-31.
- Jun 27, 1979PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- Jun 26, 1979PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Jun 25, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed House, in lieu of H. R. 3575.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in House.
- May 10, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- May 4, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Apr 23, 1979CommitteeCommittee · 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.