1 | 1 | | CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20252026 REGULAR SESSION Senate Joint Resolution No. 3Introduced by Senators Arregun and Weber PiersonMarch 27, 2025 Relative to food assistance. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSJR 3, as introduced, Arregun. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).This measure would urge the United States Congress to avoid any cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which could harm the states children, older adults, and families, and impact the states economic well-being.Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO Bill TextWHEREAS, California produces nearly one-half of the nations fruits and vegetables, yet more than one in five Californians, which is about 8,800,000 individuals, currently struggle with food insecurity. One in six families with children experience food insecurity according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Two-thirds of Californias 24,000 college students are experiencing food insecurity, according to the California Student Aid Commission, which sounded an alarm after its 2023 survey of students; andWHEREAS, CalFresh is the largest antihunger program in California, alleviating hunger for 5,400,000 people, including nearly 2,000,000 older adults, in this state. Hunger is on the rise, as evidenced both by increased applications for CalFresh and increasing demand on the states food banks; andWHEREAS, The CalFresh benefit is fully funded by the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the federal governments antihunger program run by the United States Department of Agriculture, while the federal government shares with the state and counties the cost to administer the program and support outreach efforts; and WHEREAS, The federal government provides more than $1,000,000,000 per month in food benefits to needy Californians, or nearly $12,500,000,000 in 2024; andWHEREAS, The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that every $1 of SNAP funding generates $1.54 to $1.80 in local economic activity, so the actual benefit of SNAP to California is as much as $22,500,000,000 annually. Furthermore, SNAP funding sustains 173,000 jobs across Californias food and farming economy; and WHEREAS, CalFresh benefits additionally supplement bottled drinking water for families in the County of Kern, whose water systems do not provide drinkable water, and provide nutritional food to 200,000 college students in California, allowing those students to remain in school; and WHEREAS, Researchers have improved documented health and economic well-being outcomes for SNAP beneficiaries, including improved birth weight, decreased rates of diabetes, obesity, hypertension, childrens developmental disabilities and depression, and, for children who receive CalFresh, a decreased reliance on public benefits as adults; and WHEREAS, The United States Department of Agriculture has cancelled up to $500,000,000 worth of produce, poultry and other items bound for the nations food banks, including more than 300 truckloads destined for California; andWHEREAS, The United States Congress is debating deep cuts to the SNAP program that could have profound impacts on Californias neediest families and the states farmers and grocers. At the same time, the federal government is proposing deep, ongoing cuts to the nations food bank network, which serves many of the same hungry families. One in three families receiving the CalFresh benefit also relies on food banks to supplement their dietary needs; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of California urges the United States Congress to avoid any cuts to the SNAP program, which could harm the states children, older adults, and families, and impact the states economic well-being; and be it furtherResolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, to the Governor, to the Attorney General, and to the author for appropriate distribution. |
---|
2 | 2 | | |
---|
3 | 3 | | CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20252026 REGULAR SESSION Senate Joint Resolution No. 3Introduced by Senators Arregun and Weber PiersonMarch 27, 2025 Relative to food assistance. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSJR 3, as introduced, Arregun. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).This measure would urge the United States Congress to avoid any cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which could harm the states children, older adults, and families, and impact the states economic well-being.Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO |
---|
4 | 4 | | |
---|
5 | 5 | | |
---|
6 | 6 | | |
---|
7 | 7 | | |
---|
8 | 8 | | |
---|
9 | 9 | | CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20252026 REGULAR SESSION |
---|
10 | 10 | | |
---|
11 | 11 | | Senate Joint Resolution |
---|
12 | 12 | | |
---|
13 | 13 | | No. 3 |
---|
14 | 14 | | |
---|
15 | 15 | | Introduced by Senators Arregun and Weber PiersonMarch 27, 2025 |
---|
16 | 16 | | |
---|
17 | 17 | | Introduced by Senators Arregun and Weber Pierson |
---|
18 | 18 | | March 27, 2025 |
---|
19 | 19 | | |
---|
20 | 20 | | Relative to food assistance. |
---|
21 | 21 | | |
---|
22 | 22 | | LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST |
---|
23 | 23 | | |
---|
24 | 24 | | ## LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST |
---|
25 | 25 | | |
---|
26 | 26 | | SJR 3, as introduced, Arregun. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). |
---|
27 | 27 | | |
---|
28 | 28 | | This measure would urge the United States Congress to avoid any cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which could harm the states children, older adults, and families, and impact the states economic well-being. |
---|
29 | 29 | | |
---|
30 | 30 | | This measure would urge the United States Congress to avoid any cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which could harm the states children, older adults, and families, and impact the states economic well-being. |
---|
31 | 31 | | |
---|
32 | 32 | | ## Digest Key |
---|
33 | 33 | | |
---|
34 | 34 | | ## Bill Text |
---|
35 | 35 | | |
---|
36 | 36 | | WHEREAS, California produces nearly one-half of the nations fruits and vegetables, yet more than one in five Californians, which is about 8,800,000 individuals, currently struggle with food insecurity. One in six families with children experience food insecurity according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Two-thirds of Californias 24,000 college students are experiencing food insecurity, according to the California Student Aid Commission, which sounded an alarm after its 2023 survey of students; and |
---|
37 | 37 | | |
---|
38 | 38 | | WHEREAS, CalFresh is the largest antihunger program in California, alleviating hunger for 5,400,000 people, including nearly 2,000,000 older adults, in this state. Hunger is on the rise, as evidenced both by increased applications for CalFresh and increasing demand on the states food banks; and |
---|
39 | 39 | | |
---|
40 | 40 | | WHEREAS, The CalFresh benefit is fully funded by the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the federal governments antihunger program run by the United States Department of Agriculture, while the federal government shares with the state and counties the cost to administer the program and support outreach efforts; and |
---|
41 | 41 | | |
---|
42 | 42 | | WHEREAS, The federal government provides more than $1,000,000,000 per month in food benefits to needy Californians, or nearly $12,500,000,000 in 2024; and |
---|
43 | 43 | | |
---|
44 | 44 | | WHEREAS, The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that every $1 of SNAP funding generates $1.54 to $1.80 in local economic activity, so the actual benefit of SNAP to California is as much as $22,500,000,000 annually. Furthermore, SNAP funding sustains 173,000 jobs across Californias food and farming economy; and |
---|
45 | 45 | | |
---|
46 | 46 | | WHEREAS, CalFresh benefits additionally supplement bottled drinking water for families in the County of Kern, whose water systems do not provide drinkable water, and provide nutritional food to 200,000 college students in California, allowing those students to remain in school; and |
---|
47 | 47 | | |
---|
48 | 48 | | WHEREAS, Researchers have improved documented health and economic well-being outcomes for SNAP beneficiaries, including improved birth weight, decreased rates of diabetes, obesity, hypertension, childrens developmental disabilities and depression, and, for children who receive CalFresh, a decreased reliance on public benefits as adults; and |
---|
49 | 49 | | |
---|
50 | 50 | | WHEREAS, The United States Department of Agriculture has cancelled up to $500,000,000 worth of produce, poultry and other items bound for the nations food banks, including more than 300 truckloads destined for California; and |
---|
51 | 51 | | |
---|
52 | 52 | | WHEREAS, The United States Congress is debating deep cuts to the SNAP program that could have profound impacts on Californias neediest families and the states farmers and grocers. At the same time, the federal government is proposing deep, ongoing cuts to the nations food bank network, which serves many of the same hungry families. One in three families receiving the CalFresh benefit also relies on food banks to supplement their dietary needs; now, therefore, be it |
---|
53 | 53 | | |
---|
54 | 54 | | Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of California urges the United States Congress to avoid any cuts to the SNAP program, which could harm the states children, older adults, and families, and impact the states economic well-being; and be it further |
---|
55 | 55 | | |
---|
56 | 56 | | Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, to the Governor, to the Attorney General, and to the author for appropriate distribution. |
---|