NEW JERSEY – Governor Phil Murphy signed two bills Friday that will help combat food insecurity among students across the state.
The first bill, A2368/S1677, which was sponsored by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, requires New Jersey schools to provide free breakfasts and lunches to students from working-class and middle-income families.
The second bill, A2365/S1928, requires school food authorities to engage in public education campaigns and develop promotional materials to educate parents about existing and expanding school meals program options. Together, the laws will help ensure equitable access to resources that simultaneously benefit children’s nutrition and support work families’ financial stability.
“Consistent access to healthy meals is a fundamental human right, a fact that became all too clear for New Jersey families as they struggled to make ends meet amid a global pandemic,” said Governor Murphy. “We’ve fought hard alongside our students’ parents to provide our children with the tools they need to grow and excel, and today we demonstrate our intent to double those efforts in the battle against food insecurity. Crucially, by launching extensive public awareness campaigns, we will work to ensure that free, nutritious meals are not only available, but easily accessible, for every New Jersey student.
“No student should have to go hungry at school. We know that students perform better on tests and retain more information when they receive the nutrition they need, and both of these bills will make sure that students in New Jersey are prepared to succeed in school,” said U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. “I applaud Governor Murphy, Assembly Speaker Coughlin and the New Jersey Legislature for their leadership on this issue and their support for our schools, teachers, and students in New Jersey.
“The Act is critical to meeting the needs of many working families and puts us on a direct path to feeding breakfast and lunch to every child who needs it,” said Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. “Millions of New Jersey residents experienced unemployment during the pandemic meaning more faced food insecurity as a result, many are still struggling to keep up with their bills. Helping keep money in people’s pockets, while ensuring more New Jersey students and their families can rely on access to the free school meals they need for success, has never been more important.”
