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(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates/Conflicts with/Companion to/Relates to

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC files

Human Services Department

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

SB 309 amends the NM WORKS Act at Section 27-2B-4 NMSA 1978 as follows:

Section C is amended to allow more than one benefit group per household.

Section E is deleted in its entirety and replaced with provisions requiring the Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD) to make child care services available to NM WORKS participants immediately upon approval. The previous language provided for reimbursement for child care within 5 days of approval.

Significant Issues

The bill contains an emergency provision.

When the NM WORKS Act was created, the department stated that only one benefit group per household would be needed.. If there were two benefit groups in the same households, they would combine into one group. This bill would allow for more than one benefit group in one household.

The change in the child care requirement ensures that those NM WORKS Act participants who are working or involved in a work activity will have immediate assistance with their child care needs.

AMENDMENTS

HSD suggests that the bill be amended in Section 27-2B-7 D to define how income belonging to non- benefit group household members is to be allocated when there is more than one benefit group per household. A suggestion would be to prorate the non-benefit group household members income among the different benefit groups.

BD/njw