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Panel releases bill directing agencies to review income eligibility standards for public assistance programs
Summary
A4613 directs state agencies to assess whether they can raise income eligibility standards for housing, nutrition and student aid programs so that rising minimum wages do not push working families off assistance; members asked for more analysis of sliding‑scale options and fiscal impacts.
The Assembly committee moved A4613 out of committee May 7, 2025, a bill that would require state agencies administering certain public assistance, school‑nutrition, and higher‑education financial‑aid programs to review and increase, if authorized and fiscally feasible, income eligibility standards so that workers whose wages have risen are not pushed off needed programs.
A sponsor told the committee the bill "takes a proactive approach" to keep eligibility aligned with rising minimum wages and cost‑of‑living pressures. Committee members asked whether the proposal could create a "benefit cliff" or whether a sliding scale option would be preferable. A member asked why more programs do not use a sliding scale so that a small wage increase would not abruptly terminate assistance; the sponsor said she would seek additional information.
Witnesses from AARP and other advocacy organizations were noted as in favor; the committee released A4613 by recorded vote with at least one abstention noted in the transcript. Members asked staff to provide more background on sliding‑scale approaches and fiscal implications before floor action.
