Bill > SCR86

This concurrent resolution urges the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to modify the current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) regulations that restrict student eligibility. Specifically, the resolution focuses on the existing federal requirement that students must work at least 20 hours per week to qualify for SNAP benefits, which currently prevents many college students from accessing nutritional assistance. The resolution highlights that nearly half of potentially eligible students do not receive SNAP benefits due to complicated eligibility criteria, and that food insecurity among college students was a significant issue even before the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution calls for the USDA to approve changes to the 20-hour weekly work requirement and for Congress to enact legislation that would allow states to waive this requirement, thereby expanding SNAP eligibility for students attending institutions of higher education. The goal is to create a more permanent solution to help students access food assistance, building upon temporary pandemic-era expansions that provided more flexible SNAP access for students.

Health and Social Services

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2024/SCR86