20250SJR_000397CHP INTRODUCED 2025-03-27 PASSED_ASSEMBLY 2025-07-14 PASSED_SENATE 2025-05-05 ENROLLED 2025-07-16 CHAPTERED 2025-07-18 FILED 2025-07-18 2025 SJR CHP CHR 0 Introduced by Senators Arreguín and Weber Pierson (Coauthors: Assembly Members Calderon, Lee, Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Ahrens, Alanis, Alvarez, Arambula, Ávila Farías, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Caloza, Carrillo, Castillo, Chen, Connolly, Davies, Dixon, Elhawary, Fong, Gabriel, Gallagher, Garcia, Gipson, Jeff Gonzalez, Mark González, Hadwick, Haney, Harabedian, Hart, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Kalra, Krell, Lackey, Lowenthal, Macedo, Muratsuchi, Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Ransom, Rivas, Celeste Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Rogers, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Schiavo, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Soria, Stefani, Ta, Tangipa, Valencia, Wallis, Ward, Wicks, Wilson, and Zbur) LEAD_AUTHOR SENATE Arreguín LEAD_AUTHOR SENATE Weber Pierson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Calderon COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lee COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Addis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Aguiar-Curry COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ahrens COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Alanis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Alvarez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Arambula COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ávila Farías COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bains COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bauer-Kahan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bennett COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Berman COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Boerner COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bonta COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bryan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Caloza COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Carrillo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Castillo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Chen COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Connolly COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Davies COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Dixon COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Elhawary COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Fong COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Gabriel COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Gallagher COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Garcia COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Gipson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Jeff Gonzalez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Mark González COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hadwick COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Haney COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Harabedian COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hart COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hoover COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Irwin COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Jackson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Kalra COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Krell COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lackey COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lowenthal COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Macedo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Muratsuchi COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Nguyen COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ortega COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Pacheco COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Papan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Patel COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Pellerin COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Petrie-Norris COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Quirk-Silva COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ramos COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ransom COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Rivas COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Celeste Rodriguez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Michelle Rodriguez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Rogers COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Blanca Rubio COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Sanchez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Schiavo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Sharp-Collins COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Solache COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Soria COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Stefani COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ta COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Tangipa COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Valencia COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wallis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ward COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wicks COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wilson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Zbur Relative to food assistance. food assistance 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 state’s children, older adults, and families, and impact the state’s economic well-being. NO

WHEREAS, California produces nearly one-half of the nation’s 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 California’s 24,000 college students are experiencing food insecurity, according to the California Student Aid Commission, which sounded an alarm after its survey of students; and

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 state’s food banks; and

WHEREAS, The CalFresh benefit is fully funded by the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the federal government’s 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; and

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 California’s 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, children’s 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 nation’s food banks, including more than truckloads destined for California; and

WHEREAS, The United States Congress is debating deep cuts to the SNAP program that could have profound impacts on California’s neediest families and the state’s farmers and grocers. At the same time, the federal government is proposing deep, ongoing cuts to the nation’s 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 state’s children, older adults, and families, and impact the state’s economic well-being; and be it further 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.