NJ Bill Would Prevent Drop In SNAP Benefits For Hungry Households

NEW JERSEY — A bill that would prevent a drop-off in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at the end of February advanced in the New Jersey Legislature on Thursday. The proposed law now heads to the desk of Gov. Phil Murphy.

Formerly known as “food stamps,” SNAP benefits provide assistance to families with low incomes. The federal government pays the full cost of SNAP benefits, but splits the cost of administering the program with states, which operate it.

SNAP families got a temporary boost in benefits during the coronavirus pandemic. But the extra aid will end soon, and that's why S-3491 is needed, according to nonprofit advocacy group Hunger Free New Jersey.

“Federal benefits like SNAP can be a lifeline, but the maximized benefits families have been getting since March 2020 are ending in March 2023 because of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023,” the group writes.

“Families who have depended on these maximized or emergency allotments will see a significant decrease in SNAP benefits, losing an average of about $190 per household in monthly benefits,” Hunger Free New Jersey continued. “Nearly 770,000 New Jersey residents rely on SNAP benefits to put food on their tables. This loss of maximized SNAP benefits will disproportionately affect seniors and people with disabilities, who are more likely to receive the minimum federal benefit.”

With inflation causing price surges across the economy – especially for food – the need for more SNAP benefits is more urgent than ever, Hunger Free New Jersey says:

“As food prices continue to soar, the loss of maximized SNAP benefits will also have a dramatic impact on New Jersey's economy. Over the course of the pandemic, over $3 billion in federal SNAP dollars have been spent in grocery stores and farmers markets across the state. The end of SNAP Emergency Allotments will result in a loss of about $75 million federal dollars per month to New Jersey’s economy.”

Under the proposed law, state funds would be used to supplement base SNAP benefits that are provided by the federal government, raising the minimum monthly SNAP benefit from $50 to $95 per household.

A companion bill, A-5086, passed a vote in the Assembly in January.

Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz (District 29) and Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez (District 5), both sponsors of S-3491, said it’s a win for thousands of people who are struggling to put food on the table.

“With SNAP benefit reductions scheduled to occur at the end of February at the federal level, many New Jerseyans would see their monthly benefits cut nearly in half if we did not act,” Ruiz said.

“I am relieved we acted swiftly to avoid a drastic reduction in benefits for some of our most vulnerable residents,” Cruz-Perez said. “The temporary federal SNAP increase has had an extremely positive effect on our communities, and this legislation will make it permanent.”

Will the governor sign the latest SNAP bill? The signs are hopeful, according to Hunger Free New Jersey, which noted that Murphy signed legislation last year to establish a $50 SNAP minimum benefit – the highest state SNAP monthly benefit in the nation.

The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) said it cannot determine the exact amount of the annual cost increase that would come with the proposed law. But the OLS added:

“According to monthly NJ SNAP enrollment data, reported in the November 2022 Current Program Statistics report issued by the Department of Human Services, 397,363 households, composed of 768,584 individuals, received SNAP benefits in that month. In federal fiscal year 2023, the minimum federal SNAP benefit is $23 per month. For context, data published by the federal government shows that in FY 2019, prior to any supplemental COVID-19 benefits initiated under the program, the average monthly benefit per SNAP-enrolled household in New Jersey was $224. If 10 percent of households receiving SNAP benefits in the state receive the minimum federal SNAP benefit of $23 per month, and all other SNAP households receive SNAP benefits over the $95 monthly minimum set under the bill, the bill would increase annual state expenditures by $21.5 million to bring these households’ monthly SNAP benefits up to the $95, an increase of $45 per month from the existing state minimum monthly supplemental SNAP benefit of $50.”

“The end of SNAP emergency allotments is going to leave many New Jerseyans in crisis, losing federal benefits that they have depended on for the past three years,” said Lisa Pitz, director of Hunger Free New Jersey.

“Thankfully, the New Jersey Legislature has a plan to support these families and create a safety net for those struggling in our state,” Pitz added.

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