Bill Text: NJ AR173 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges federal government to investigate unidentified drones operating in NJ airspace.
Sponsorship: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2024-12-19 - Filed with Secretary of State [AR173 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-AR173-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHAMA A. HAIDER
District 37 (Bergen)
Assemblyman WILLIAM W. SPEARMAN
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
Assemblyman CRAIG J. COUGHLIN
District 19 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Affirms support for SNAP and program's progress in reducing hunger among vulnerable populations in New Jersey.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution affirming support for SNAP and the program's progress in reducing hunger among vulnerable populations in New Jersey.
Whereas, On February 25, 2025, the United States House of Representatives passed a budget resolution seeking to cut a minimum of $1.5 trillion over ten years from the federal budget to meet spending targets aimed at funding the current administration's domestic priorities; and
Whereas, To achieve this goal, on May 14, 2025 the House Agriculture Committee voted in favor of a bill that would reduce up to $300 billion in food aid funding over this same time period; and
Whereas, These cuts are aimed at and will largely fall on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a safety net program that supports food insecure individuals and families across the country; and
Whereas, New Jersey has a substantial number of food insecure people living in the State, demonstrating the critical need to maintain participation in SNAP; and
Whereas, According to Feeding America, nearly 1.1 million people in New Jersey are food insecure - a staggering 65 percent increase since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020; and
Whereas, Nearly 850,000 residents in New Jersey, or nine percent of the total population, rely on SNAP benefits to feed their families; and
Whereas, A significant number of the households that participate in SNAP include some of the State's most vulnerable members: the elderly, disabled, veterans, and children; and
Whereas, The New Jersey General Assembly supports State and federal collaboration to identify programmatic efficiencies within SNAP; however, budgetary cost savings at the expense of striping children, seniors, and families of safety net food and nutrition services is unconscionable; and
Whereas, It is fitting and proper for the New Jersey General Assembly to defend the State's most vulnerable residents from these drastic proposed federal funding reductions to SNAP; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The New Jersey General Assembly supports SNAP and the program's progress in reducing hunger among vulnerable populations in New Jersey. The General Assembly urges the United States Congress to reject the proposed federal cuts to this program adopted by the United States House Agriculture Committee on May 14, 2025, or any subsequent proposals, which would achieve federal cost savings at the expense of food insecure children, seniors, and families.
2. The Clerk of the General Assembly shall transmit copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, 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, and every member of the United States Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution affirms support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the program's progress in reducing hunger among vulnerable populations in New Jersey. The resolution urges the United States Congress to reject the proposed federal cuts to SNAP. On May 14, 2025, to achieve a minimum $1.5 trillion cut from the federal budget over a ten year period, the House Agriculture Committee voted in favor of a bill that would reduce up to $300 billion in food aid funding, largely aimed at SNAP.
In New Jersey, SNAP is a critical resource for residents, with nearly 850,000 individuals, or nine percent of the total population, relying on the program's benefits to feed their families. A significant number of the households that participate in SNAP include some of the State's most vulnerable members: the elderly, disabled, veterans, and children.
The New Jersey General Assembly supports State and federal collaboration to identify programmatic efficiencies within SNAP; however, budgetary cost savings implemented at the expense of striping income-limited children, seniors, and families of safety net food and nutrition services is unconscionable. The General Assembly urges Congress to reject these drastic proposed federal funding reductions, or any subsequent proposals, and to maintain SNAP as an accessible resource for those in need of food assistance.
