Vitale Bill to Require DHS to Develop SNAP Outreach Program Advances

TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Chairman Joseph F. Vitale, which would require the Department of Human Services (DHS) to develop an outreach plan to inform certain students about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), passed the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee today.

“If we are going to have these programs, they should be accessible to everyone that could benefit from them,” said Senator Vitale (D-Middlesex). “To that end, getting the information to the students that need them is crucial to the effectiveness of SNAP. If they don’t know the help exists, this important program will be of no use to them, and that shouldn’t be acceptable.”

The bill, S-2889, includes outreach efforts such as: compiling, preparing and disseminating information concerning the program’s eligibility requirements as they pertain to students, program benefits and application procedures.

The bill was released from committee by a vote of 10-0, and next heads to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee for further review.