ASSEMBLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 179

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  AUGUST 20, 2020

      The Assembly Women and Children Committee reports favorably Assembly Resolution No. 179.

     This resolution requests that any legislation enacted by the federal government relating to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) financial relief include funding for states to make emergency grants to diaper banks to provide families, in New Jersey and across the nation, with a steady supply of diapers for their children.

     Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been stocking their pantries with household supplies like toilet paper, paper towels, disinfection wipes, hand sanitizer, and diapers.  Panic buying of these items has emptied store shelves, disrupted national supply chains, and exacerbated diaper need in the United States. 

     As a result, diaper banks, which distribute diapers to low-income families, are struggling to meet the needs of these families.

     Enacting federal COVID-19 relief legislation that includes funding for states to make emergency grants to diaper banks will allow these organizations to supply diapers to low-income families and parents who have lost their jobs during the pandemic.