0001|                            HOUSE BILL 426
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                         JIMMIE GARNENEZ SR.
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|                                   
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0009|     
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0010|                                AN ACT
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0011|     RELATING TO PUBLIC ASSISTANCE; REQUIRING PERSONS ON PUBLIC
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0012|     ASSISTANCE TO DEMONSTRATE CERTAIN EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS.
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0013|     
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0014|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0015|          Section 1.  PUBLIC ASSISTANCE--EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS.--
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0016|               A.  In addition to any requirement imposed by state
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0017|     or federal law, effective July 1, 2002 a person receiving or
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0018|     applying for public assistance shall meet one of the following
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0019|     criteria to qualify for a public assistance program
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0020|     administered by the human services department:
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0021|                    (1)  the person has earned a high school
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0022|     diploma or its equivalent;
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0023|                    (2)  the person has demonstrated that he can
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0024|     read at a minimum seventh grade level as determined by an
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0025|     assessment by the state department of public education;
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<center>- 1 -</center>

0001|                    (3)  the person is currently enrolled in
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0002|     public school or a state-approved adult literacy program
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0003|     designed to teach skills necessary for a person to read at a
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0004|     seventh grade level;
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0005|                    (4)  the person is a qualified student served
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0006|     by a special education program and has completed the literacy
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0007|     goals specified by his individualized education plan, or the
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0008|     school district where he is enrolled certifies that literacy
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0009|     goals requiring reading at a seventh grade level are not
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0010|     appropriate for that student; or 
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0011|                    (5)  the person was born prior to January 1,
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0012|     1950.
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0013|               B.  Each public school district and the human
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0014|     services department shall disseminate information regarding
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0015|     the requirements of this section.  Written notice shall be
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0016|     given to all public assistance applicants or recipients at
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0017|     least once a year until the date this section becomes
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0018|     effective.
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0019|                              
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