Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblyman PEDRO MEJIA
District 32 (Bergen and Hudson)
Assemblyman WILLIAM W. SPEARMAN
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Downey, Assemblyman Holley, Assemblywoman Tucker, Assemblyman Chiaravalloti, Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson, Assemblymen Houghtaling, McKeon and Assemblywoman Jasey
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress to expand SNAP eligibility requirements for students enrolled in college and other institutions of higher education.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging the United States Congress to expand Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility requirements for students enrolled in college and other institutions of higher education.
Whereas, The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people living in the United States; and
Whereas, The federal aid program is administered by the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) in the United States Department of Agriculture, though benefits distributed by state Divisions of Social Services or Children and Family Services; and
Whereas, SNAP offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities; and
Whereas, SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net; and
Whereas, FNS works with state agencies, nutrition educators, neighborhood and faith-based organizations, state partners, and the retail community to ensure that those eligible for nutrition assistance can make informed decisions about applying for the program and can access benefits and to improve program administration and ensure program integrity; and
Whereas, SNAP benefits cost $70.9 billion in 2016 and supplied roughly 44.2 million Americans, fourteen percent of the population, with an average of $126 for each person per month in food assistance; and
Whereas, Most able-bodied students ages 18 to 49 enrolled in college or other institutions of higher education who attend classes at least part-time are not eligible for SNAP benefits; and
Whereas, However, there are exceptions that allow non-traditional, low income, or full-time students to receive SNAP benefits, if otherwise eligible; and
Whereas, These exceptions include: age or disability status; participation in a state or federally funding work study program; being employed at least 20 hours per week; being a recipient of public assistance benefits under a Title IV-A program; being a parent; providing care for a dependent household member under the age of 12 without access to adequate children care to enable a person to attend school and work a minimum of 20 hours; or enrollment in a state or federally financed work study or employment training program; and
Whereas, Hundreds of thousands of college students experience food insecurity every day, a condition characterized by disrupted eating patterns and reduced quality and quantity of diets; and
Whereas,
Food insecurity carries serious consequences for student success. In one study,
the majority of students experiencing food
insecurity reported missing classes and study sessions and not buying required
textbooks; and
Whereas, Hunger also impairs cognitive development into adolescence and adulthood, leading to poorer test scores and the inability to fully engage in classes; and
Whereas, Despite estimates showing that half of students experience hunger, only eighteen percent of college students are actually eligible for federal food assistance through the SNAP program; and
Whereas, Of the 3.4 million students that are eligible, only 600,000 students actually receive SNAP benefits, less than one in five of those qualified, and three percent of college students at large; and
Whereas, In order to improve SNAP’s ability to help students experiencing food insecurity, the program’s application process could be simplified and modernized to make it easier to deliver benefits to those who qualify and its eligibility standards could be expanded to allow all students enrolled in college or other institutions of higher education who qualify to receive federal food assistance benefits; and
Whereas, The expansion of SNAP eligibility requirements to allow non-traditional, low income, or full-time students to apply for federal food assistance benefits, without meeting the eligibility standards, such as work requirements, that prohibit such students from qualifying for SNAP benefits, would address campus hunger, food insecurity, and lagging student success in the State of New Jersey and throughout the country; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House urges the United States Congress to expand Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility requirements to allow non-traditional, low income, or full-time students to apply for federal food assistance benefits, without meeting the eligibility standards, such as work requirements, that prohibit such students from qualifying for SNAP benefits, in order to address campus hunger, food insecurity, and lagging student success in New Jersey and throughout the country.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, and to each member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
Hundreds of thousands of
college students experience food
insecurity every day. However, able-bodied students ages 18 to 49 enrolled in
college or other institutions of higher education who attend classes at least
part-time are not eligible for SNAP benefits. However, there are exceptions to
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility requirements that
allow non-traditional, low income, or full-time students to receive SNAP benefits,
if otherwise eligible. Conversely, these eligibility requirements, such as
work requirements, limit the access of such students experiencing food
insecurity to federal food assistance benefits.
This resolution urges the United States Congress to expand SNAP eligibility requirements to allow non-traditional, low income, or full-time students to apply for federal food assistance benefits, without meeting the eligibility standards, such as work requirements, that prohibit such students from qualifying for SNAP benefits, in order to address campus hunger, food insecurity, and lagging student success in New Jersey and throughout the country.