NJ nearly doubles SNAP benefits for struggling families as federal pandemic aid winds down

New Jersey families most in need of help will soon be getting more because of a bill signed Wednesday by Gov. Phil Murphy.

The new law will see that families enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, continue to receive $95 even after the pandemic assistance from the federal government stops at the end of the month.

This almost doubles the minimum monthly food assistance that low-income families in New Jersey receive, from $50 to $95. The bill Murphy signed also allows the state to cut back its contributions if federal aid is extended, as long as the monthly minimum is met.

Murphy said the end of federal assistance would leave a "significant gap" for many families and put "thousands of families at risk of being food-insecure."

"I shared my belief that after coming together to overcome the pandemic, there could be no greater common purpose than ensuring that every member of our New Jersey family has enough to eat," Murphy said.

He noted that this will continue to support those most in need and said this makes New Jersey the first, and he believes the only, state to "set an across-the-board minimum benefit."

Needs in NJ:Food insecurity, exacerbated by COVID-19 pandemic, is focus for NJ Assembly speaker

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, has been an advocate in the fight against food insecurity for the last decade and took the time Wednesday to thank colleagues on both sides of the aisle for voting for this legislation.

"When we started work on prioritizing the fight against food insecurity, which is really what this means, we had a lot to do," Coughlin said. "That grew out of a sense that there is an obligation to do something that is really more akin to a moral obligation than to a governmental function."

He went on to say New Jersey has built the kind of momentum that "other states can only dream about."

'Investment in human capital'

According to the state Department of Human Services, New Jersey households have received more than $2 billion in additional assistance since the emergency allotments were authorized by Congress in March 2020.

The program had about 769,000 individuals enrolled from 397,000 households as of November.

The increase is a "start" and a "significant step that no one else in America is taking," Murphy said. If the state had the resources to provide another increase and it seemed warranted, Murphy said, he would talk to the Legislature about that.

He also said there are ample resources in the current budget to cover the increase and that he intends to propose the program's cost, about $32 million, in his upcoming budget.

Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, called the bill an "investment in human capital," which offers the "greatest return."

Across political lines, Ruiz added, New Jersey "is saying we're stepping up because good government is great for people."

Murphy signed legislation last year making New Jersey the first state to establish a minimum benefit program, the department said. It was set at $50. The federal minimum is $23.

More information about SNAP eligibility and the end of federal assistance can be found at NJSNAP.gov, and recipients can find out if they qualify for other assistance programs at nj211.org/food-programs-and-community-resources, or by texting their ZIP code to 898-211.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ SNAP benefit increases under new law signed by Phil Murphy