TRENTON - When she ran for governor, Mikie Sherrill promised a more affordable New Jersey. Standing next to Speaker Craig Coughlin at the Statehouse this afternoon, she doubled down on that priority.

"Nothing is more foundational than making sure all of our kids have the food they need to learn, to grow, and to thrive," Sherrill said. "As grocery prices continue to skyrocket, New Jersey provides by far the most impactful... SNAP benefits. No family receives less than $95 per month, or four times the national minimum [of $23 dollars a month]."

"Twenty-three dollars a month for groceries is laughable," said the Governor, who pointed out that in schools across New Jersey, 700,000 students receive free and reduced priced meals, among them 21K who became eligible thanks to legislation penned by Coughlin.

"My budget supports that next year," Sherrill noted, with Coughlin standing there and the unfinished 2027 Budget between them. The Speaker, said the Governor, with his record of "championing food security, set an example for us all."

This legislation signed by the Governor today and co primed by senators M. Teresa Ruiz and Angela McKnight (both of whom were in the room), requires schools to promote benefits on every school website.

From the bill:

The committee amended the bill to require a public school that participates in the National School Lunch Program or the federal School Breakfast Program to post a link to at least one informational video produced by the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate regarding the school meals application in a prominent location on the school’s Internet website.

Below, watch Governor Sherrill, Speaker Coughlin, and Senator Ruiz speak about the legislation moments before the Governor signed it into law.