SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR CITIZENS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 2330

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 6, 2024

      The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 2330.

      As amended by the committee, this bill establishes the State Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) Menstrual Hygiene Benefit Pilot Program and the State WFNJ Diaper Benefit Pilot Program in the Division of Family Development (division) in the Department of Human Services, and makes a $2.5 million appropriation to support the programs. WFNJ is the State’s cash assistance program for low-income residents.

      Under the State WFNJ Menstrual Hygiene Pilot Program, the division is to establish a process to distribute to each person who menstruates participating in WFNJ, ages 18 to 50 years, a monthly State benefit of $14 to defray the costs of menstrual hygiene products. Under the State WFNJ Diaper Benefit Pilot Program, the division is to establish a process to distribute to each person participating in WFNJ a monthly State benefit of $30 for each dependent of the person who is under 36 months of age to defray the costs of diaper products. The division is required to distribute the monthly State benefit under both programs via the participant’s WFNJ electronic benefits card, on the same issuance date as the participant’s standard WFNJ benefits.  As amended, the bill requires the division to educate participants of each pilot program on the purpose of the additional benefit provided by the pilot program.

      A participant is required to use any monthly State benefit issued pursuant to this bill for the purposes of the program. As amended, the bill provides that any unspent funds from a participant’s monthly menstrual hygiene benefit or diaper benefit will be subject to WFNJ program benefit expungement and aging rules.

      As amended, the bill requires the Commissioner of Human Services, no later than one month following the completion of the pilot programs, to prepare and submit to the Governor and the Legislature a report evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot programs established by the bill, which report will include, but not be limited to, the number of participants who benefited from each pilot program and any recommendations for policy or legislative action to continue or improve the pilot programs.  The provisions of the bill will take effect on the first day of the sixth month following the date of enactment and will expire one year after the bill’s effective date, except that the reporting requirements of the bill will expire after the submission of the report to the Governor and Legislature.

      The bill defines “menstrual hygiene products” to mean tampons, menstrual cups, or sanitary napkins used to collect or absorb menstrual fluids.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments provide that the benefit programs established under the bill are to be established as pilot programs.

      The committee amendments clarify the purposes of the benefits provided under the State WFNJ Menstrual Hygiene Benefit Pilot Program and the State WFNJ Diaper Benefit Pilot Program.

      The committee amendments require the Division of Family Development in the Department of Human Services to educate participants on the purpose of the additional cash assistance provided by each pilot program.

      The committee amendments provide that any unspent funds from a participant’s monthly State WFNJ Menstrual Hygiene Benefit or State WFNJ Diaper Benefit will be subject to WFNJ program benefit expungement and aging rules.  As introduced, these unspent funds would have been carried over to the next month.

      The committee amendments require the Commissioner of Human Services, no later than one month following the completion of the pilot programs, to prepare and submit to the Governor and the Legislature a report evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot programs established by the bill.

      The committee amendments revise the effective date of the bill and provide that the provisions of the bill will expire one year after the bill’s effective date except that the reporting requirements of the bill will expire after the submission of the report to the Governor and Legislature.

      The committee amendments revise the bill’s synopsis to reflect these changes.