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| Long title | An Act to strengthen the agricultural economy to help to achieve a fuller and more effective use of food abundances to provide for improved levels of nutrition among economically needy households through a cooperative Federal-State program of food assistance to be operated through normal channels of trade; and for other purposes. |
|---|---|
| Acronyms (colloquial) | FSA |
| Enacted by | the 88th United States Congress |
| Effective | August 31, 1964 |
| Citations | |
| Public law | Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 88–525 |
| Statutes at Large | 78 Stat. 703 |
| Codification | |
| Titles amended | 7 U.S.C.: Agriculture |
| U.S.C. sections created | 7 U.S.C. ch. 51 § 2011 et seq. |
| Legislative history | |
| |
The Food Stamp Act (P.L. 88-525) provided permanent legislative authority to the Food Stamp Program, which had been administratively implemented on a pilot basis in 1962. On August 31, 1964 it was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.[1] It was later replaced and completely rewritten and revised by the food stamp provisions of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (P.L. 95-113, Title XIII; 7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), which eliminated the purchase requirement and simplified eligibility requirements. Amendments were made to this Act in 1981–82, 1984–85, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2002 (most recently by Title IV of the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171, Sec. 4101-4126).
As of 2005, the current Food Stamp Act (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) includes authority through FY2007 for the regular Food Stamp Program, for Nutrition Assistance Grants to Puerto Rico and American Samoa (in lieu of food stamps), for Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and for commodity purchases for the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program.
| Date of Enactment | Public Law Number | U.S. Statute Citation | U.S. Legislative Bill | U.S. Presidential Administration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 27, 1967 | P.L. 90-91 | 81 Stat. 228 | S. 953 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| October 8, 1968 | P.L. 90-552 | 82 Stat. 958 | S. 3068 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| January 11, 1971 | P.L. 91-671 | 84 Stat. 2048 | H.R. 18582 | Richard M. Nixon |
| July 12, 1974 | P.L. 93-347 | 88 Stat. 340 | S. 3458 | Richard M. Nixon |
| February 20, 1975 | P.L. 94-4 | 89 Stat. 6 | H.R. 1589 | Gerald R. Ford |
| July 5, 1976 | P.L. 94-339 | 90 Stat. 799 | S. 2853 | Gerald R. Ford |
| September 29, 1977 | P.L. 95–113 | 91 Stat. 913 | S. 275 | Jimmy E. Carter |
This article incorporates public domain material from Jasper Womach. Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition. Congressional Research Service.
