[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 25 (Monday, March 3, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S1837]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

           By Mr. LUGAR:
  S. 388. A bill to amend the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to assist States 
in implementing a program to prevent prisoners from receiving food 
stamps; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.


                       FOOD STAMP ACT AMENDMENTS

 Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill 
that will stop prisoners from getting food stamp benefits. My bill will 
assist States in implementing a program to ensure that prisoners are 
not counted as members or heads of food stamp households, thus either 
increasing the households' benefits or allowing an individual to 
illegally receive benefits in the prisoner's name.
  I was disturbed to read in the newspaper about a draft General 
Accounting Office report showing over $3 million in food stamp benefits 
being overpaid to households in which a member has been incarcerated. 
Current law prohibits prisoners from receiving food stamp benefits and 
requires that households notify their local welfare office of any 
changes in the makeup of the household. I am concerned to see that 
there is a breakdown in the system, allowing millions of dollars to be 
paid out illegally.
  Briefings by USDA's Food and Consumer Service and the General 
Accounting Office have confirmed that although a few States are 
performing computer matches of data on States' food stamp participants 
and verified inmates, most are not. All States should be doing these 
computer matches. This bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture to 
collect information from States already doing computer matches to 
prevent prisoners from receiving food stamp benefits, then evaluate, 
summarize, and disseminate this information to all States not later 
than 180 days after the bill's enactment. The Secretary must then 
provide the States with technical assistance to implement a computer 
matching system.
  The problem of prisoners illegally receiving Federal benefits is not 
limited to the Food Stamp Program. Another recently released General 
Accounting Office report shows that the Social Security Administration 
has made erroneous payments to prisoners who were incarcerated in the 
jail system at the time of the study. In response to this study, the 
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 included 
language authorizing the Commissioner of the Social Security 
Administration to enter into agreements with institutions to prevent 
these erroneous payments. We should make a similar effort to prevent 
these erroneous payments in the Food Stamp program.
  The Food Stamp Program provides a safety net for millions of people. 
We cannot allow fraud and abuse to undermine the Food Stamp Program. 
Integrity is essential to ensure a program that can serve those in 
need. It is Congress' responsibility to play a role in ending fraud and 
abuse in all federally funded programs. This legislation is an 
important step in ending fraud and abuse in the Food Stamp Program.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 388

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,
       SECTION 1. DENIAL OF FOOD STAMPS FOR PRISONERS.
       Section 11 of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2020) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(q) Denial of Food Stamps for Prisoners.--
       ``(1) Collection and dissemination of information.--Not 
     later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this 
     subsection, the Secretary shall--
       ``(A) collect information on policies and procedures used 
     by States that conduct computer matches or other systems to 
     prevent prisoners from receiving food stamp benefits; and
       ``(B) evaluate, summarize, and disseminate to each State 
     the information collected under paragraph (1) that describes 
     the best practices of the States (including information 
     related to verifying prisoners' social security numbers with 
     the Social Security Administration).
       ``(2) Assistance to states.--The Secretary shall assist 
     States, to the extent practicable, in implementing a system 
     to conduct computer matches or other systems to prevent 
     prisoners from receiving food stamp benefits.''.
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