Bill Text: NJ AR123 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Congress and President to enact legislation creating program to subsidize purchase of diapers.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-25 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Women and Children Committee [AR123 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-AR123-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman GABRIELA M. MOSQUERA
District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress and President to enact legislation creating program to subsidize purchase of diapers.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging Congress and the President of the United States to enact legislation creating a program to subsidize the purchase of diapers.
Whereas, The ability to access clean diapers is a medical and economic necessity for the health and welfare of infants and toddlers and their families; and
Whereas, The majority of children in the United States use disposable diapers until the age of three; and
Whereas, A child in the United States uses approximately 3,800 disposable diapers per year for the first three years of the child's life; and
Whereas, Diapers on average cost a family $80 a month in New Jersey, equaling an annual cost of $960 and a cumulative total cost for three years of $2,880; and
Whereas, Statistics collected by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that the vast majority of parents work outside the home and these individuals need child care. For example, over 70 percent of single women and over 80 percent of single men, who are head of households with children under the age of 18, are employed and over 58 percent of mothers with infants under a year old participate in the workforce; and
Whereas, The majority of day care providers require that children use disposable diapers; and
Whereas, For those individuals who are moderate to low income, the purchase of diapers can be a significant portion of their monthly income; and
Whereas, Over 35 percent of families who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) have a child under the age of three years old; and
Whereas, The maximum TANF cash benefit for a family consisting of one parent and two children is $424 a month in New Jersey; and
Whereas, For families who rely on TANF, one child's need for diapers will take up 18 percent of the monthly TANF cash benefit; and
Whereas, TANF is the only public assistance benefit that can be used to purchase diapers; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance benefits and Women, Infant and Children benefits cannot be used to purchase diapers; and
Whereas, The President of the United States announced an initiative in March of 2016 which encourages companies to develop low-cost disposable diapers and to assist in the distribution of disposable diapers through diaper banks; and
Whereas, H.R.4055, the "Hygiene Assistance for Families of Infants and Toddlers Act of 2015" was introduced in November 2015 to address the needs of infants and toddler who lack sufficient diapers; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Congress and the President of the United States are respectfully urged to enact legislation creating a program to subsidize the cost of disposable diapers for families.
2. The President of the United States is respectfully requested to continue efforts to support the development of low cost disposable diapers and the development of a network of organizations to provide access to disposable diapers to support working parents.
3. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and to every member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution respectfully urges Congress and the President of the United States to enact legislation creating a program to subsidize the cost of disposable diapers for families. Additionally, the President of the United States is respectfully requested to continue efforts to support the development of low cost disposable diapers and the development of a network of organizations to provide access to disposable diapers to support working parents.
On average, disposable diapers cost a family $980 per year for the first three years of a child's life. For a low-income family, this cost can be prohibitive and impact the parent's ability to work, as the majority of child care centers require that children have disposable diapers, and if the diapers are not provided by the family, the child cannot attend day care. For a family reliant on public assistance, this cost comprises approximately 18 percent of the family's monthly public assistance benefit in New Jersey since diapers are not an eligible purchase with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits or Women, Infant and Children benefits. By enacting legislation and encouraging innovative programs to provide disposable diapers to working families, the Legislature can assist working parents to continue to work and support their families.
