Food Stamp Act of 1959 (pilot authorization)

E14961

The Food Stamp Act of 1959 (pilot authorization) was an early federal initiative that established a limited test program for providing food-purchasing assistance to low-income Americans, laying groundwork for the modern food stamp system.


Statements (43)
Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal statute
pilot food assistance program authorization
administeredBy United States Department of Agriculture
aimedAt evaluating administrative feasibility of food stamps
informing future nationwide food stamp legislation
reducing food insecurity
appliesToJurisdiction United States federal government
basedOn concern about hunger and malnutrition in the United States
characteristic experimental in scope
limited geographic coverage
means-tested eligibility
contributedTo creation of the permanent federal Food Stamp Program
policy design of later food stamp legislation
country United States
evaluationFocus administrative costs and procedures of a food stamp system
impact on food consumption of low-income households
participation patterns among eligible low-income populations
field anti-poverty policy
food assistance
social welfare policy
followedBy Food Stamp Act of 1964
hasEffectOn development of the modern food stamp system
nutrition of low-income Americans
historicalSignificance early federal initiative that laid groundwork for the modern food stamp system
transition from surplus commodity distribution to coupon-based food assistance
implementedAs limited pilot projects in selected areas
inPolicyDomain United States federal social safety net
legalForm public law
legislativeBody United States Congress
policyArea federal nutrition assistance
welfare policy in the United States
policyInstrument food coupons
food-purchasing assistance
precededBy earlier federal commodity distribution programs
purpose to authorize a limited pilot program of food-purchasing assistance for low-income households
to reduce hunger among low-income Americans
to test the feasibility of a federal food stamp program
regulates provision of food coupons to eligible low-income participants in pilot areas
relatedTo Food Stamp Act of 1964
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
federal anti-hunger programs in the United States
targetPopulation low-income households
low-income individuals

Referenced by (2)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
United States Department of Agriculture ("Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program")
offersProgram
86th United States Congress
passedLegislation

Please wait…