Sponsored by:

Assemblyman TIMOTHY J. EUSTACE

District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)

Assemblyman BOB ANDRZEJCZAK

District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)

Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

Assemblyman RAJ MUKHERJI

District 33 (Hudson)

Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE

District 37 (Bergen)

SYNOPSIS

Urges Congress and President to enhance charitable food donation deduction.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

As reported by the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on December 11, 2014, with amendments.

An Assembly Resolution respectfully urging the ¹[United States]¹ Congress ¹and President of the United States¹ to enhance the charitable food donation deduction.

Whereas, The United States Congress has the Article I power to lay and collect taxes to promote the general welfare of the country; and

Whereas, The United States Congress has used this power to provide a charitable food donation income tax deduction ¹in section 170(e)(3)(C) of the federal Internal Revenue Code¹; and

Whereas, The national demand for charitable food assistance has increased dramatically over the last decade; and

Whereas, An estimated 70 billion pounds of wholesome food is wasted ¹in the United States¹ each year; and

Whereas, New Jersey has also experienced an increase in demand for food assistance notwithstanding the efforts of charitable organizations like the New Jersey Agricultural Society and its New Jersey Farmers Against Hunger program, which distributes approximately 1 to 1.5 million pounds of food annually; and

Whereas, The United States Congress is considering the ¹"¹America Gives More Act¹"¹ to expand the charitable food donation deduction to 15 percent of qualified income and allow farmers and other cash method accounting taxpayers to use a 25 percent fair market value basis for donated food; and

Whereas, The ¹"¹America Gives More Act¹"¹ charitable food donation deduction enhancements will reduce barriers for food donation; and

Whereas, Without these enhancements to the food donation deduction, millions of pounds of food from large and small businesses and farmers will be lost; and

Whereas, It is altogether fitting and proper for this House to promote the general welfare by respectfully urging the ¹[United States]¹ Congress ¹and President of the United States¹ to enhance the charitable food donation deduction; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The ¹[United States]¹ Congress ¹[is]and President of the United States are¹ respectfully urged to enhance the charitable food donation deduction of section 170(e)(3)(C) of the federal Internal Revenue Code.

2. ¹[Duly authenticated copies of this General Assembly Resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested to by the Clerk thereof, shall be transmitted] Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly¹ to ¹the President of the United States,¹ the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and ¹[to]¹ every member of Congress elected from this great State.