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The Business Council strongly supports A.6214A (González-Rojas)/S.7663A (May) which would increase the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) minimum benefit to $100 per month.
SNAP is one of the most effective programs in place to help combat food insecurity, currently helping roughly 3 million New Yorkers avoid food insecurity. SNAP beneficiaries are able to use their benefits through Electronic Benefit Cards (EBT) at a wide range of retail locations such as farmers markets and grocery stores. During the COVID-19 pandemic the federal government issued SNAP Emergency Allotments (EAs) to increase the benefits to offset any loss of income caused by the pandemic. This funding was critical for millions of New Yorkers that were and continue to struggle to put food on the table, however, the funding for the EAs ended in March of 2023. Since the funding has stopped many New Yorkers saw their SNAP benefits drop to only $23 per month, which is the current SNAP minimum benefit.
This drop in benefits has been devastating to many families and businesses, which has negatively impacted local economies. As New York continues to look for solutions to combat issues such as inflation, a dwindling workforce due to outmigration and how to create a more inclusive economy for all New Yorkers, raising the SNAP minimum benefit to $100 and could be essential in mitigating the impact of these issues. Millions of businesses, and more importantly, families could benefit from raising the SNAP minimum as it will provide many with the opportunity to be more active in local economies as their finances become more secure. This would result in a boost in businesses across the state. As we look to ways to create a stronger New York, we must build an economy that provides every New York with the means and tools necessary to help sustain that economy. This increase would do so by helping many families and the local economies where they live.
Raising the SNAP minimum benefits to $100 per month will not solve every issue New York is facing currently but will certainly be an essential part of the solution to boost the economy and transform struggling communities into thriving communities.
For these reasons, The Business Council supports A.6214A (González-Rojas)/S.7663A (May).