A bill to amend the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to make individuals who receive coupons liable to the United States for an amount not to exceed the value of such coupons, if such individuals receive income in excess of twice the Poverty level during any calendar year in which they receive coupons.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Agriculture.
Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to create a liability to the United States in any individual receiving food coupons during any year whose adjusted gross income for such year exceeds the exempt amount, that is, an amount equal to twice the nonfarm income poverty guidelines for a household consisting of such individual, his spouse, and any dependent for whom he may claim a federal income tax deduction. Sets the amount of such liability at the lesser of: (1) the value of the coupons received by such individual during the year; or (2) the excess of the adjusted gross income over the exempt amount. Requires payment of such liability on April 15 of the succeeding year unless the time for payment is extended for reasons of undue hardship or until such individual leaves the household, if he is not the person maintaining it. Treats the individual maintaining the household as receiving all of the coupons received by such household. Treats both spouses as one individual. Prescribes a procedure for notifying a recipient of his liability.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on May 10, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on May 10, 1979: Referred to House Committee on Agriculture.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
JAMES JEFFORDS (R-VT) introduced it on May 10, 1979. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 10, 1979, 17290 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17290 days ago, on May 10, 1979.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers