An act to suspend the noncash benefit requirement for the Puerto Rico nutrition assistance program, to provide States with greater flexibility in the administration of the food stamp program, and for other purposes.
Public Law 98-204 · H.R. 4252 · 98th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Dec 2, 1983 · Agriculture and Food
Sponsor: Rep. Baltasar Corrada-del Río (I-PR)
Cosponsors (5): Rep. Kika de la Garza, Rep. Bill Emerson,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
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 Food Stamp Act of 1977 to repeal as of January 1, 1984, the requirement that nutrition assistance in Puerto Rico be made available in noncash form.
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) study the cash food assistance program in Puerto Rico, including assessments of expenditure levels and nutritional adequacy; and (2) report to the appropriate congressional committees by March 1, 1985.
Authorizes six-month minimum and 12-month maximum certification periods to be waived for certain elderly and disabled households.
Authorizes prospective budgeting for households that are exempt or waived from monthly reporting requirements.
Authorizes periodic reporting requirements to be satisfied by in-person interviews, as well as by written forms.
Reduces specified reporting form requirements.
Permits States to use specified sources of information for wage matching in addition to Social Security data.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Agriculture Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Domestic Marketing, Consumer Relations, and Nutrition Subcommittee
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. 17 actions.
- Dec 2, 1983Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-204.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 23, 1983PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Nov 18, 1983Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendment to the Senate amendments. By Voice Vote.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Concurred, in Senate Amendment 001 , with Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments 002, 003, 004, 005, 006 by Unanimous Consent.
- Nov 17, 1983FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Nov 15, 1983FloorFloor · Received in the Senate and held at the desk by unanimous consent.
- FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Nov 11, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Agriculture Committee
- Nov 8, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Agriculture Committee
- Nov 2, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Domestic Marketing, Consumer Relations, and Nutrition Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Domestic Marketing, Consumer Relations, and Nutrition Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
- Nov 1, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Domestic Marketing, Consumer Relations, and Nutrition Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
- Oct 31, 1983CommitteeCommittee · 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.