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    "label": "1975/05/13 - Dunham and O'Neill",
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    "id": "1534534",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "1975/05/13 - Dunham and O'Neill",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1534534",
    "collections": [
        "James M. Cannon Files (Ford Administration)",
        "James Cannon's Meetings Files"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Food stamps"
    ],
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    "seq": 1,
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    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0039/635913/1534534.pdf",
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box 45, folder \"1975/05/13 - Dunham and O'Neill\" of\nthe James M. Cannon Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDigitized from Box 45 of the James M. Cannon Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\n9:30 AM - Food Stamp meeting\nDunham and O'Neill\nTuesday, May 13, 1975\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\n?\nMay 12, 1975\nABUSES\nMEMORANDUM FOR:\nJIM CANNON\nFROM:\nART QUERN\nSUBJECT:\nFood Stamp Meeting\nAttached materials are for your use in the meeting at\n9:30 a.m. on May 13th to discuss Food Stamps. A much\nlonger draft decision memorandum has been circulated\nbut to simplify your preparation I have attached only\n1. A proposed agenda for the meeting\n2. A working paper for your review outlining\nthe decisions in question\nShould you have any questions, I am available at your\nconvenience.\nThose\nAttachment\nAGENDA\nFOOD STAMP MEETING\nTuesday, May 13, 1975\n9:30 a.m.\nPURPOSE OF MEETING\nReview decisions and alternatives to be addressed in\npresenting food stamp issues to the President.\nDECISIONS\nI.\nShould basic reform of food stamp program\nproceed now, or should it await comprehensive\nwelfare reform\nII.\nIf we proceed now,\nA.\nWe must make decisions on\n-- strikers\n-- addicts and alcoholics\n-- college students\nB.\nWe must decide if we should\n-- choose one specific plan for income\neligibility\n-- recommend one type of plan (i.e. standard\ndeduction) and let Congress determine\nspecific dollar level\n-- simply offer all six plans that we have\ndeveloped and let Congress select a plan\nC.\nIf we decide to select and recommend one\nspecific plan, we must select from:\n1. Set a $100 national standard deduction\nfor all families\n2. Set a $100 national standard deduction\nwhich varies by family size with special\naddition for aged of $50.\n-2-\n3. Set a single $100 national standard\nbut continue categorical eligibility\nfor public assistance recipients with\nspecial deduction for the aged of $50\n4. Set $100 national standard deduction,\ndeny categorical eligibility but add\n$25 special deduction for aged\n5. Create a progressive chart of income\neligibility and bonus values\n6. Put dollar limits on amounts which\ncan be deducted under current law.\nWORKING PAPER\nDecisions Outline\nA.\nWe (OMB, Agriculture, and Domestic Council) have\ndeveloped twelve specific proposals to simplify\nadministration, tighten accountability, and\npenalize and retard abuses. These are relatively\nclear and, in general, non-controversial and need\nonly be reviewed (see attached list).\nB.\nThree specific items need decisions by the\nPresident:\n1. Strikers - all recipients of food stamps\ncan lose eligibility if they refuse to\naccept employment. Under current law being\non strike is not grounds for denying eligibility\n-- we have proposed that strikers must\nwait 60 days before becoming eligible\nfor food stamps.\n2. Addicts and Alcoholics - all eligible food\nstamps recipients must use their stamps to\npurchase food they or someone in their house-\nhold cooks. This denies eligibility to residents\nof institutions. Current law exempts drug addicts\nand alcoholics in institutional treatment programs\nenabling them to be eligible for food stamps\n-- we have proposed eliminating this exemption.\n3. College Students - Two elements of the current\nlaw affect eligibility of college students\nfor food stamps\na. law denies elibility to students who are\nclaimed as a tax deduction by families\nwho are not eligible\n-- this is somewhat confused and difficult\nto enforce.\nb.\nstudents eligible to participate are\nexcluded from requirement to accept\nemployment\n- 2 -\n-- we offer two approaches:\n(1) clarify tax dependency exclusion\nand extend work requirement to\nstudents, or\n(2) clarify tax dependency but continue\nexemption from work requirement.\nC.\nIncome Eligibility\nThis complex issue boils down to three elements\nwhich relate to the plans we have developed to\nchange income eligibility approach:\n1. Should we choose one specific plan for\nreforming eligibility.\n2. Should we recommend a type of income eligibility\nplan and let Congress select the dollar levels.\n3. Should we offer all six plans and let Congress\nchoose.\nThe plans developed deal with:\n-- deductions, currently a complex and arbitrary\nsystem permits people to deduct a number of\nitems from their gross incomes to enable\ntheir becoming eligible even though their\ngross income may be well above poverty line.\n-- automatic eligibility for welfare recipients\nno matter what their actual cash and in kind\nincome is\n-- minimum bonus which guarantees a minimum bonus\nto anyone eligible even though calculation\nof their bonus by regular formula might re-\nsult in a much lower bonus.\nThe plans developed:\n1. Set a $100 national standard deduction for\nall families\n2. Set a $100 national standard deduction which\nvaries by family size with special addition\nfor aged\n- 3 -\n3. Set a single $100 national standard but continue\ncategorical eligibility for public assistance\nrecipients with special deduction for the aged\nof $50\n4. Set $100 national standard deduction, deny\ncategorical eligibility but add $50 special\ndeduction for aged\n5. Create a progressive chart of income eligibility\nand bonus values\n6. Put dollar limits on amounts which can be\ndeducted under current law.\nTWELVE ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDATIONS\n1.\nLimit variable purchase to 50% or 100%\n2.\nState option on withholding of Food Stamp Purchase\nrequirement from public assistance checks\n3.\nLower maximum fine to $1,000\n4.\nPermit Secretary to levy money penalties\n5.\nClarify exclusion of illegal aliens\n6.\nEliminate $25 countable for employer supplied\nhousing\n7.\nPermit demonstration projects\n8.\nGreater accountability by states for coupons\n9.\n\"Reduce\" definition of negligence\n10.\nAllow lump sum payments where benefits are wrongfully\ndenied\n11.\nAuthorize cash payments where mechanical failures\nprevent issuance of stamps\n12.\nLower maximum work requirement age to 60"
}