Gov. Christie Signs Food Stamps Law At The Right Time
Gov. Chris Christie signed off on a bill that will give people on food stamps a better chance of becoming self-sufficient. And it won’t involve the state dipping heavily into its own strained finances.
Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) can take a well-deserved victory lap for introducing the legislation. It comes at the right time for a hurting state.
The program that Christie approved helps people who have been trying to make ends meet, and who are unemployed or underemployed and reliant on food stamps. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, has a job training component that requires a state investment to get federal matching dollars.
Lesniak’s bill directs the state to use private donations to make sure we make the most of available federal dollars. The Nicholson Foundation is one of the donor foundations eager to partner with the state. It will provide the funding that will constitute the state investment and thereby draw in the federal funds.
Once the state Department of Human Services issues a request for proposals, those combined funds can be made available to organizations experienced in job-training programs, such as nonprofit agencies and colleges and universities, to develop specific programs for food stamp recipients who have been long out of work or need to brush up their skills.
The latest jobless figures look like a ray of hope: The state unemployment rate dropped from 9.3 percent to 9.0 percent in March, according to the U.S. Labor Department, the sharpest drop in more than a decade. That’s still higher than the national rate of 7.6 percent.
Christie said the improving job numbers prove the time is ripe for a 10 percent tax cut. That’s a bit premature, though. It’s still very much a fragile recovery.
Lesniak has bristled that the governor should have signed the bill two months ago, when it passed the Assembly and Senate. That’s true. But it’s good to see the governor come around and focus on the people who are struggling on the fringes of a limping economy. –Nj.com/April 20, 2013
Gov. Chris Christie signed off on a bill that will give people on food stamps a better chance of becoming self-sufficient. And it won’t involve the state dipping heavily into its own strained finances.
Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) can take a well-deserved victory lap for introducing the legislation. It comes at the right time for a hurting state.
The program that Christie approved helps people who have been trying to make ends meet, and who are unemployed or underemployed and reliant on food stamps. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, has a job training component that requires a state investment to get federal matching dollars.
Lesniak’s bill directs the state to use private donations to make sure we make the most of available federal dollars. The Nicholson Foundation is one of the donor foundations eager to partner with the state. It will provide the funding that will constitute the state investment and thereby draw in the federal funds.
Once the state Department of Human Services issues a request for proposals, those combined funds can be made available to organizations experienced in job-training programs, such as nonprofit agencies and colleges and universities, to develop specific programs for food stamp recipients who have been long out of work or need to brush up their skills.
The latest jobless figures look like a ray of hope: The state unemployment rate dropped from 9.3 percent to 9.0 percent in March, according to the U.S. Labor Department, the sharpest drop in more than a decade. That’s still higher than the national rate of 7.6 percent.
Christie said the improving job numbers prove the time is ripe for a 10 percent tax cut. That’s a bit premature, though. It’s still very much a fragile recovery.
Lesniak has bristled that the governor should have signed the bill two months ago, when it passed the Assembly and Senate. That’s true. But it’s good to see the governor come around and focus on the people who are struggling on the fringes of a limping economy. –Nj.com/April 20, 2013
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Christie Introduces Plan To Reduce Gun Violence
Gov. Chris Christie unveiled a plan Friday to combat gun violence — though some critics called his initiative "gun safety light."
Christie said he will introduce bills to ban future purchases of the Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifle, strengthen background checks, require parental consent for the purchase of some video games and impose stricter penalties on people who break gun laws in New Jersey. -By Brent Johnson/Nj.com/April 22, 2013
Gov. Chris Christie unveiled a plan Friday to combat gun violence — though some critics called his initiative "gun safety light."
Christie said he will introduce bills to ban future purchases of the Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifle, strengthen background checks, require parental consent for the purchase of some video games and impose stricter penalties on people who break gun laws in New Jersey. -By Brent Johnson/Nj.com/April 22, 2013
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