The bill establishes two pilot programs within the Division of Family Development in the New Jersey Department of Human Services: the State WFNJ Menstrual Hygiene Benefit Pilot Program and the State WFNJ Diaper Benefit Pilot Program. The Menstrual Hygiene Benefit Program will provide a monthly benefit of $14 to eligible menstruators aged 18 to 50 participating in the Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) program, specifically for the purchase of menstrual hygiene products. Similarly, the Diaper Benefit Program will offer a monthly benefit of $30 for each dependent under 36 months of age to assist with diaper costs. Both benefits will be distributed via the participants' existing WFNJ electronic benefits cards and must be used for their designated purposes. Unspent funds from these benefits will be subject to existing WFNJ program rules regarding expungement and aging.
Additionally, the bill mandates the Commissioner of Human Services to submit a report evaluating the effectiveness of both pilot programs to the Governor and the Legislature within one month of their completion. The report will include participant statistics and recommendations for future policy or legislative actions. The bill appropriates $2,500,000 from the General Fund to support these initiatives and outlines that the act will take effect six months after enactment, with a one-year expiration for the pilot programs, except for the reporting requirement, which will remain until the report is submitted.