MORRISTOWN, N.J. In February of 2023, the SNAP Supplemental Emergency Benefits will be eliminated. As on March 1, SNAP participants will once again get their usual stipend. As of this month, the bare minimum SNAP payment is $50.
But Craig J. Coughlin (D-19th Dist.), speaker of the New Jersey Assembly, wants to see that amount increased to $95, saying it will assist feed the state’s poo rest families.
As part of his continued fight against hunger, Assembly Speaker Coughlin has introduced legislation (A5086) that would nearly quadruple the minimum monthly payments for low-income recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
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Coughlin remarked that the state of New Jersey “has a chance t o make a strong statement that we will to continue to lead the nation in battling food insecurity and make a difference in so many lives.”
After receiving unanimous support from the state Assembly Human Services Committee on January 19th, a vote on his measure in the entire Assembly is scheduled for Thursday, January 26th.
Recently, New Jersey raised their minimum SNAP payment from the federal minimum of $23 to $50. As the first state to establish its own minimum, Coughlin’s plan would increase that threshold.
Coughlin told an Assembly committee last week, “Rising need, alongside escalating inflation, means that $50 a month is just not going to cut it.” His plan would provide a basic floor of $95 for people in New Jersey, allowing more families to afford food.
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Items that “many of us take for granted” can be purchased with SNAP at supermarkets, corner stores, and farmer’s markets.
Coughlin said that the programme “gives them access to fresh, nutritional meals and allows them to do so with dignity.” You can watch a video of him making these remarks on Twitter right here.
Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, families receiving SNAP benefits have been receiving an additional $45 per month from the federal government thanks to the approval of emergency supplements for 2020 by Congress.
The federal minimum SNAP benefit would drop to $23 per month without the additional state funding. On Tuesday, February 28th, the government pandemic supplement will be terminated.
Coughlin called it “a tremendous step backwards” and said his bill would protect SNAP recipients from a “dramatic reduction” in their regular payments.
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The 46,000 lowest-income families in New Jersey would gain from his legislation. As of December 2022, almost 769,000 people, living in nearly 397,000 households, were receiving SNAP benefits in New Jersey.
