Sherrill Fights to Expand Federal Assistance and Bring Back Taxpayer Dollars to New Jersey

WASHINGTON, DC — Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) introduced the Improving Federal Assistance to Families Act, legislation that would adjust eligibility for federal programs, such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), based on the cost of living in states like New Jersey. Sherrill’s bill would boost federal investments in the Garden State by making sure that New Jersey families are able to qualify for important family assistance programs.

“We’ve got an affordability crisis in New Jersey, and I hear about it from families all across the state. From rent prices to groceries to health care, my focus is on making sure we’re cutting costs and making life less expensive for New Jerseyans. Yet, in states with high costs of living like New Jersey, families often do not qualify for critical federal programs to help make ends meet. It’s time for that to change. My legislation will help families put food on the table, afford health care, and support seniors by ensuring that New Jerseyans can access benefits while increasing federal investments in our state” said Rep. Sherrill.

The Improving Federal Assistance to Families Act has been endorsed by the United Way of Northern New Jersey, Family Promise, JBWS, Third Way, Community Head Start Program of Morris County, and Greater Middlesex and Morris Habitat for Humanity.

“We applaud Congresswoman Sherrill’s leadership in recognizing the failings of the federal poverty level and calling for change in how we measure and respond to financial hardship,” said Kiran Handa Gaudioso, CEO of United Way of Northern New Jersey. “We are gratified that this legislation also calls for exploring how our United For ALICE measurements can be deployed to improve conditions for the 1.3 million New Jersey households struggling to make ends meet as well as our broader economy.”

“Each year, Family Promise serves over 25,000 families that are facing a housing crisis, and we see firsthand the challenges that prohibit family access to critical resources.  The Improving Federal Assistance to Families Act would provide a more accurate picture of poverty and we thank Rep Sherrill for her efforts to remove barriers to services for vulnerable children and families,” said Cheryl Schuch, CEO of Family Promise.

“The adjustment to the Regional Cost of Living Poverty Line means survivors of domestic violence may qualify for additional financial support which would give them a better chance of receiving benefits that could help them meet basic needs while they rebuild their lives. The inclusion of a study on the ALICE Poverty Measure could lead to an expansion of eligibility criteria for federal programs. This would help survivors of domestic violence who may be working but still struggle to make ends meet, ensuring they have more access to programs designed to stabilize their financial situation. This legislation proposed by Congresswoman Sherrill better reflects the financial realities faced by domestic violence survivors who are trying to regain independence and stability,” said Diane M. Williams, President & CEO of JBWS.

“The federal government needs to be consistently modernized to help ensure more people have the opportunity to earn a good life where they live. That’s why we applaud Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s initiative to upgrade federal program eligibility to better account for families living in high-cost states. Rep. Sherrill has always been a champion for working families, and we hope Congress acts on her important work,” said Gabe Horwitz, Senior Vice President, Economic Program, Third Way.

“Congresswoman Sherrill’s bill recognizes and solves one of the basic problems with funding for Head Start programs.  As it stands now the poverty level for a family of four is $32,150 per year, while the cost of living in Morris County is approximately $90,000 per year. The federal poverty rate in Mississippi is the same as it is in New Jersey while Mississippi is the most affordable state in the county and New Jersey is one of the most expensive. This bill will make more families eligible for services,” said Community Head Start Program of Morris County Board President Bob Grant and CEO Susan O’Donnell. “The Community Head Start Program of Morris County, New Jersey is happy to endorse this bill and thanks Representative Sherrill for her advocacy.”

Sherrill’s Improving Federal Assistance to Families Act would amend the Poverty Guidelines used by the Department of Health and Human Services to determine eligibility for federal assistance programs by instead using an adjusted Federal Poverty Line (FPL) measure that includes state-level costs of living, to more accurately account for the basic needs of families and increase program eligibility for families in high-cost states.

This legislation will require the Census Bureau to develop and publish a new poverty line measure called the Regionally Adjusted Poverty Line that adjusts the current poverty thresholds and rates for each state by that state’s cost of living. This new poverty measure will then be used in place of the Federal Poverty Line to determine eligibility for federal programs and services, which will boost assistance for families in high-cost states. The bill clarifies that any states with lower Regionally Adjusted Poverty Lines (compared to the current Federal Poverty Line) can continue using the current Federal Poverty Line, which will ensure that no families lose access to any current federal programs nationwide.

Finally, the bill instructs the Government Accountability Office to study how the ALICE Poverty Measure — created by the United Way of Northern New Jersey to better measure poverty and material need — could potentially be incorporated into the eligibility criteria for federal programs to improve families’ access to benefits.

This legislation is important because the currently used Federal Poverty Line assumes that all families in the continental United States face the same cost of living and need the same income level to make ends meet. As a result, its poverty line measurement is the same for all states outside of Hawaii and Alaska. Given that the costs of necessities such as food and shelter differ widely by state, however, the FPL ends up undercounting the level of federal assistance required in high-cost states such as New Jersey.

The Improving Federal Assistance to Families Act is the next pillar in Rep. Sherrill’s Lowering Costs for New Jersey Families Agenda, a legislative package she is introducing to make life more affordable and put money back into New Jerseyans’ pockets. Her agenda includes the INCREASE Housing Affordability Act – which supports commercial-to-residential building conversions to help boost the supply of affordable housing and lower costs for families – and the REDUCE Food Prices Act – which will save New Jerseyans money at the grocery store.