State seeks tighter food stamp rules [View all]
SANTA FE – Republican Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration wants to expand work, training and job-search requirements for low-income New Mexicans to qualify for food stamps.
Rules proposed by the Human Services Department would require parents of children older than 6 to participate in up to 80 hours a month of specified activities, such as community service.
Rules that tie food assistance to activities such as job searches and training are currently imposed on most single, able-bodied adults ages 18 to 50. That would be expanded to include 16- through 60-year-olds.
The proposed requirements come after the state had a 21 percent increase in the number of cases in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, over the year that ended in April. More than 20 percent of the state’s population of over 2 million is enrolled in the program.
Read more: http://www.abqjournal.com/603308/news/state-seeks-tighter-food-stamp-rules.html
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