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A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT TO GATHER AND TRACK

MORE AGGREGATE INFORMATION ON PERSONS WHO APPLY FOR PUBLIC

ASSISTANCE.

WHEREAS, the legislative health and human services

committee regularly requires additional information on the

working poor in New Mexico; and

WHEREAS, understanding the needs of and the services now

available to medicaid recipients and temporary assistance for

needy families recipients will help the legislature plan for

the future; and

WHEREAS, recognizing that people who have jobs may still

require public assistance due to the limitations of their

salaries and benefits could help legislators tailor state

benefits to the actual needs of public assistance clients; and

WHEREAS, collecting information on the employers of

persons on public assistance could help policymakers as they

make decisions on future benefits, services and opportunities;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF

REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the human

services department be requested to change its application

forms for public assistance to include information about the

current employment of medicaid applicants and temporary

assistance for needy families applicants, the applicants'

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dependents and fellow household members; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that information collected

include the name of the employer of the applicant and the name

of the city in which the applicant works; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the secretary of human

services report annually to the interim legislative health and

human services committee on the employers listed on fifty or

more applications for public assistance, the name of any

employer listed fifty or more times in a single year and the

number of times the employer was listed by applicants; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the report contain no

personally identifiable information about the applicant, the

applicant's dependents or fellow household members; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be

transmitted to the governor and to the secretary of human

services.