More NJ College Students Deserve Food Stamps, Lawmakers Say

NEW JERSEY — There are a lot of hoops you need to jump through to qualify for food stamps as a college student in New Jersey. As a result, about one of three “food insecure” students are shut out of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) aid. But if a proposed New Jersey law passes, many more Garden State college students will be able to apply for SNAP benefits and focus on their studies – not where their next meal comes from, a legislator from the 27th district says.

Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, who represents several towns in Essex and Morris counties, is one of the sponsors of A-6007. If it passes, students who get unemployment compensation or who are working 10 hours per week – half of the existing work requirement – would be allowed to participate in SNAP.

The 27th legislative district includes the municipalities of Caldwell, Chatham Township, East Hanover, Essex Fells, Florham Park, Hanover, Harding, Livingston, Madison, Maplewood, Millburn, Roseland, South Orange and West Orange.

Jasey and the bill’s other co-sponsor, Pamela Lampitt (District 6), said that in New Jersey, college students between the ages of 18 and 49 must meet special criteria to qualify for SNAP.

Currently, students must fit at least one of the following requirements in addition to meeting the income eligibility criteria:

• Be enrolled in an approved Career and Technical Education Program at a NJ community college
• Be employed at least 20 hours per week
• Participate in a federal work-study program during the school year
• Participate in an on-the-job training program
• Be responsible for the care of a dependent under the age of 6
• Be a single parent enrolled full-time and responsible for a dependent under the age of 12
• Be unable to work due to a physical or mental disability
• Receive Work First New Jersey cash assistance benefits

The Assembly Higher Education Committee released the bill on Monday. It now heads to the Assembly speaker for further consideration.

Upon the bill’s committee approval, Jasey and Lampitt issued the following joint statement:

“When we talk about giving our students the tools they need to succeed, it is about much more than what happens on our campuses or in our classrooms. We are facing a hunger crisis, and with 38% of undergraduate students facing food insecurity, we must act now. College is stressful enough without having to worry about where your next meal will come from. By expanding eligibility requirements for college students under SNAP, we can ensure that more students receive the food assistance they need.”

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