Bill Text: NJ SR131 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges federal government to permit use of SNAP and WIC benefits to pay for grocery delivery charges.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-12-14 - Reported from Senate Committee, 2nd Reading [SR131 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-SR131-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator M. TERESA RUIZ
District 29 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Urges federal government to permit use of SNAP and WIC benefits to pay for grocery delivery charges.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution urging the federal government to permit the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infant, and Children benefits to pay for grocery delivery charges.
Whereas, The WIC program is currently the largest federal nutrition program after the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the National School Lunch Program; and
Whereas, New Jersey WIC is a preventive public health nutrition program which utilizes various strategies to reduce the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes and to facilitate the improvement of the nutritional and health status of low-income pregnant, postpartum, breastfeeding women, as well as infants and children; and
Whereas, To accomplish this goal, the program identifies and provides services that prevent nutritional and health problems, such as health screenings and nutritional counseling; and
Whereas, On average, the New Jersey WIC program serves over 130,000 total participants each year; and
Whereas, There is strong evidence that the program reduces the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and infant mortality, particularly for the African American community; and
Whereas, Mothers qualify for WIC during pregnancy and for up to a year after, and children qualify until age five, with eligibility based on enrollment in other federal programs or by income and nutritional risk criteria; and
Whereas, SNAP is a nutritional assistance initiative administered at the state level by the USDA; and
Whereas, SNAP is regulated at the federal level by the USDA pursuant to the "Food and Nutrition Act of 2009," Pub.L.110-246 (7 U.S.C. s.2011 et seq.), and administered at the State level by the Division of Family Development, within the Department of Human Services, in conjunction with the county welfare agencies; and
Whereas, SNAP is the nation's largest domestic food and nutrition assistance program for low-income Americans. In order to receive SNAP benefits, a person must qualify based on their income, expenses, and assets. A person with a lower income receives higher benefits up to a specified maximum; and
Whereas,
There are individuals who receive benefits under the SNAP and WIC program who
may be unable to travel to a grocery store due to distance, a lack of
transportation, or other reasons; and
Whereas, There are also women who receive benefits under the SNAP and WIC program and are unable to breastfeed due to medical conditions that affect either the mother or infant or for other reasons; and
Whereas, By permitting the use of SNAP and WIC benefits to pay for grocery delivery charges, the USDA would make buying food easier and more convenient for such persons and ensure proper nutrition and access to food for them and their children; and
Whereas, It is proper and fitting for this House to urge the federal government to permit the use of SNAP and WIC benefits to pay for grocery delivery charges; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House respectfully urges the federal government to permit benefits received under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children to be used to pay for grocery delivery charges.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, every member of Congress elected from this State, and the United States Secretary of Agriculture.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges the federal government to permit benefits received under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to be used to pay for grocery delivery charges.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) began operating WIC, a federal assistance program for healthcare and nutrition of low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children under the age of five, through state agencies in 1974. The WIC program is currently the largest federal nutrition program after the SNAP and the National School Lunch Program. New Jersey WIC is a preventive public health nutrition program which utilizes various strategies to reduce the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes and to facilitate the improvement of the nutritional and health status of low-income pregnant, postpartum, breastfeeding women, as well as infants and children. To accomplish this goal, the program identifies and provides services that prevent nutritional and health problems, such as health screenings and nutritional counseling. On average, the New Jersey WIC program serves over 130,000 total participants each year.
There is strong evidence that the program reduces the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and infant mortality, particularly among the African American community. Mothers qualify for WIC during pregnancy and for up to a year after, and children qualify until age five, with eligibility based on enrollment in other federal programs or by income and nutritional risk criteria.
SNAP is a nutritional assistance initiative administered at the state level by the USDA. SNAP is regulated at the federal level by the USDA pursuant to the "Food and Nutrition Act of 2009," Pub.L.110-246 (7 U.S.C. s.2011 et seq.), and administered at the State level by the Division of Family Development, within the Department of Human Services, in conjunction with the county welfare agencies. SNAP is the nation's largest domestic food and nutrition assistance program for low-income Americans. In order to receive SNAP benefits, a person must qualify based on their income, expenses, and assets. A person with a lower income receives higher benefits up to a specified maximum; and
There are persons who receive benefits under the SNAP and WIC program who may be unable to travel to a grocery store due to distance, a lack of transportation, or other reasons. There are also women who receive benefits under the SNAP and WIC program and are unable to breastfeed due to medical conditions that affect either the mother or infant or for other reasons. By permitting the use of SNAP and WIC benefits to pay for grocery delivery charges, the USDA would make buying food easier and more convenient for such persons and ensure proper nutrition and access to food for them and their children.
