A new bill is set to make its way to the desk of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy with the goal of providing much-needed support to residents who are losing pandemic-era food assistance.
A new bill is set to make its way to the desk of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy with the goal of providing much-needed support to residents who are losing pandemic-era food assistance. (Photo: Foodlink)
New Jersey Bill Aims to Boost SNAP Benefits and Fight Hunger in the State
If the bill passed, it would increase the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for thousands of New Jersey residents. SNAP is the most critical anti-hunger program in the country. The federal government covers the cost of benefits and splits the cost of administering the program with individual states. Temporary SNAP emergency allotments were put in place in 2020, but are set to expire at the end of this month says Yahoo Finance. This would result in a significant loss of monthly benefits for New Jersey households.
Proposed law S-3491 would raise the federal minimum SNAP benefit from $50 to $95 per eligible household, using state funds to augment federal aid. The increased minimum benefit would help keep the SNAP benefits level for about 46,000 households and prevent hunger for many families in the state. The New Jersey Department of Human Services, the agency responsible for administering SNAP benefits, would have to utilize available federal aid before using state funds to pay for the increased benefits.
A new bill is set to make its way to the desk of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy with the goal of providing much-needed support to residents who are losing pandemic-era food assistance. (Photo: New Mexico Higher Education Department)
New Jersey Bill Aims to Prevent Hunger and Boost SNAP Benefits for Residents
The main sponsor of the bill, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin stated that the increased minimum benefit would help alleviate the burden on the most vulnerable populations. This will include seniors and people with disabilities who are more likely to receive the federal minimum benefit.
Nearly 770,000 residents in New Jersey rely on SNAP benefits to put food on the table. This bill is seen as a crucial step in helping families through these challenging times. By providing a boost to the state’s most critical anti-hunger program, New Jersey is taking a step in the right direction to prevent hunger and provide much-needed support to its residents.
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