Bill
SR 135
NJ Senate reaffirms support for SNAP and urges the U.S. Senate to reject proposed federal cuts that would reduce benefits for vulnerable households.
Status and sponsors
- Bill type: Senate Resolution (non‑binding)
- Bill number: SR 135
- Primary sponsors: Senators RaShaun Kemp, Kenya Wicks, David Lucas, Ed Harbison, Sheikh Rahman, Derek Mallow, Donzella James, Gail Davenport, Jason Esteves, Michael “Doc” Rhett, Neil Anderson, Patrick McMath
- Introduced: February 21, 2025
- Related/companion measures: SCR 166, AR 193
- Procedural notes: The legislative record supplied contains mixed entries from multiple sources. Pertinent New Jersey actions show the resolution was introduced in February 2025, adopted by the Senate (3rd reading adopted 38–0 on March 27, 2025), and enrolled/sent to the Secretary of State in late May/early June 2025. (Some auxiliary entries in the source are unrelated to this resolution.)
Purpose and intent
- SR 135 is a symbolic, non‑binding resolution that affirms the New Jersey Senate’s support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
- It expresses opposition to recent federal budget actions—specifically House budget measures (May 14 and May 22, 2025) that would reduce food‑aid funding by up to $300 billion over 10 years as part of broader proposed federal cuts—and urges the U.S. Senate to reject such reductions.
Key provisions
- Reaffirms New Jersey’s support for SNAP and its role in reducing hunger among vulnerable populations.
- Condemns the House of Representatives’ adoption of federal funding cuts to SNAP contained in the May 22, 2025 budget bill.
- Urges the U.S. Senate to reject the proposed cuts (or any subsequent proposals that would reduce SNAP benefits).
- Affirms support for state–federal collaboration to pursue programmatic efficiencies, while opposing cost‑saving measures that would remove benefits from children, seniors, veterans, disabled persons, or other income‑limited households.
- Directs the Secretary of the New Jersey Senate to transmit copies of the resolution to the President, congressional leaders, and all members of Congress from New Jersey.
Who is affected / potential impact
- Directly symbolic: the resolution does not change law or spending.
- Politically and publicly: it signals the New Jersey Legislature’s position to federal policymakers and the public.
- Substantively concerned with: the roughly 850,000 New Jersey residents (stated in the text as ~9% of the population) who rely on SNAP, and the broader population of food‑insecure residents (cited as nearly 1.1 million per Feeding America).
- Intended effect: to influence federal debate and encourage protection of SNAP benefits for children, seniors, veterans, disabled persons, and low‑income families.
Notes
- SR 135 is a formal statement of state legislative intent and advocacy; it does not appropriate funds or alter program eligibility or benefit levels.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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