Food Stamp Program Provisions

In response to a legislative requirement and congressional request, GAO provided information on two provisions of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990, focusing on the administration of the Food Stamp Program on Indian reservations. GAO noted that: (1) the act's provisions exempted reservation households from the program's monthly income reporting requirements and required state agencies to stagger the issuance of food stamp benefits; (2) the provisions were intended to help households comply with the program's income reporting requirement and discourage food stores from increasing prices to coincide with food stamp issuances; (3) state agencies and Indian organizations opposed the reporting requirement exemption because of the increased potential for food stamp benefit errors and more frequent household recertifications; and (4) state agencies and Indian organizations also opposed the staggered food stamp issuance provision because of increased transportation difficulties, the questionable effect on and extent of reservation store owners' pricing practices, and the potential increases in existing administrative procedures, time, and costs.