A Concurrent Resolution urging Congress to restore funding to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Whereas, The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal assistance program administered by the states that provides benefits to low-income households to enable them to purchase food; and

Whereas, It is estimated that, in 2014, SNAP helped an average of 47 million Americans per month, including approximately 900,000 New Jersey residents, to afford a nutritionally adequate diet; and

Whereas, Approximately 92 percent of SNAP benefits go to households with income below the federal poverty line and 57 percent go to households below half of the federal poverty line. Further, close to 70 percent of SNAP participants are in households with children, and more than 25 percent are in households with seniors or people with disabilities; and

Whereas, In 2013, SNAP benefits boosted monthly income by an average of 36 percent, and are estimated to constitute approximately 30 percent of household income for households in the lowest income bracket; and

Whereas, SNAP benefits are one of the quickest and most effective forms of economic stimulus; households receiving SNAP benefits tend to increase their total spending on food, and SNAP benefits free up resources that can be used to purchase other items and services. Moody's Analytics estimates that, in a weak economy, every $1 of SNAP benefits generates approximately $1.70 in economic activity; and

Whereas, SNAP benefits cannot be used to purchase alcohol, tobacco, food that is hot at the point of sale or intended to be eaten in a store, vitamins or medicines, pet foods, or nonfood household items. Fruits and vegetables, grain products, meats, and dairy products comprise nearly 90 percent of foods purchased with SNAP benefits, and every state operates a SNAP nutrition education program to help participants make healthy food choices; and

Whereas, Most people eligible for SNAP benefits who are able to work do so, and SNAP has proven an effective way to supplement the incomes of households with members who are unemployed or underemployed as a result of the Great Recession; and

Whereas, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 increased SNAP benefits as a form of economic stimulus, resulting in a reduced number of households experiencing "very low food security;" and

Whereas, Notwithstanding the demonstrated effectiveness of SNAP in reducing poverty, increasing food security, and providing needed economic stimulus, these increased benefits expired in 2014, reducing the amount received in SNAP benefits for approximately 23 million low-income households nationwide; and

Whereas, As the unemployment rate drops, many states will lose eligibility for a waiver from the three-month time limit on SNAP benefits for unemployed childless adults, resulting in an anticipated one million people losing SNAP eligibility; and

Whereas, These cuts to SNAP benefits have affected hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents, one-third of whom are children, 10 to 15 percent of whom are seniors, and the majority of whom are members of working families, by reducing the amount of household income available to provide sufficient and nutritious meals for every household member; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):

1. The President and the Congress of the United States are respectfully urged to enact legislation restoring the funding cut from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which has helped lift large numbers of working families out of poverty, helped reduce food insecurity for the nation's most economically vulnerable citizens, and helped ensure that children from needy families have enough to eat.

2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of the United States Congress elected from this State.

STATEMENT

This concurrent resolution respectfully urges the President and the Congress of the United States to enact legislation restoring funding cut from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2014. SNAP is a federal assistance program administered by the states that provides benefits to low-income households to enable them to purchase food. Most SNAP households comprise working families with children who depend on SNAP to help reduce the impact of extreme poverty, increase food security, and ensure the availability of nutritionally-adequate diets.