44th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2000

RELATING TO PUBLIC ASSISTANCE; CHANGING THE DEFINITIONS OF EARNED AND UNEARNED INCOME; AMENDING A SECTION OF THE NEW MEXICO WORKS ACT.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

Section 1. Section 27-2B-3 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1998, Chapter 8, Section 3 and Laws 1998, Chapter 9, Section 3, as amended) is amended to read:

"27-2B-3. DEFINITIONS.--As used in the New Mexico Works Act:

A. "benefit group" means a group of people that includes at least one dependent child living with his parent, legal guardian or relative within the fifth degree of consanguinity; or a pregnant woman;

B. "cash assistance" means cash payments funded by the temporary assistance for needy families block grant pursuant to the federal act and by state funds;

C. "department" means the human services department;

D. "dependent child" means a natural or adopted child or ward who is seventeen years of age or younger or a household group member who is eighteen years of age and is enrolled in high school;

E. "director" means the director of the income support division of the department;

F. "earned income" [includes] means cash or payment in kind that is received as wages from employment or payment in lieu of wages; or earnings from self-employment or earnings acquired from the direct provision of services, goods or property, production of goods, management of property or supervision of services [and all other income not classified as unearned income];

G. "federal act" means the federal Social Security Act and rules promulgated pursuant to the Social Security Act;

H. "federal poverty guidelines" means the level of income defining poverty by family size published annually in the federal register by the United States department of health and human services;

I. "household group" means a group of people that consists of a benefit group and any other person who resides in a household, regardless of whether they are related or have a legal support responsibility for a member of the benefit group, but does not include:

(1) landlords;

(2) tenants; or

(3) members of a registered nonprofit organization or church who provide shelter to a benefit group through a program sponsored by the nonprofit organization or church;

J. "immigrant" means alien as defined in the federal act;

K. "landlord" means the owner of an estate in land or a rental property who has leased it to another person called the tenant;

L. "parent" means natural parent, adoptive parent, stepparent or legal guardian;

M. "participant" means a recipient of cash assistance or services or a member of a benefit group who has reached the age of majority;

N. "person" means an individual;

O. "secretary" means the secretary of the department;

P. "services" [includes] means child-care assistance; payment for employment-related transportation costs; job search assistance; employment counseling; employment, education and job training placement; one-time payment for necessary employment-related costs; case management; or other activities whose purpose is to assist transition into employment;

Q. "tenant" means a person who pays rent for the use and occupancy of real property owned by a landlord; and

R. "unearned income" [includes] means old age, survivors and disability insurance; railroad retirement benefits; veterans administration compensation or pension; military retirement; pensions, annuities and retirement benefits; lodge or fraternal benefits; shared shelter payments; settlement payments; individual Indian money; [and similar kinds of income] child support; unemployment compensation benefits; union benefits, either cash or in-kind resulting from union membership; gifts; contributions; and real property income."