Work For Food Stamps? New Mexico May Reimpose That Condition

Work for food stamps? New Mexico may reinstitute that condition for receiving food stamps.

Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration is proposing to reinstitute work requirements on low-income New Mexicans to qualify for food stamps, according to station KVIA. Starting in October, the state plans to restore a 20-hour-a-week work requirement for childless adults to get food stamps. That was suspended in 2009 because of the national recession. The administration also proposes a new food stamp requirement for parents of children age 6 and older. Adults would have to search for a job or participate in community service.

Social services advocates say the work-related requirements are a bad idea when New Mexico has been losing jobs. Human Services spokesman Matt Kennicott said the requirements are similar to what’s required for other public assistance, including the state’s welfare-to-work program. About 420,000 New Mexicans receive food stamps averaging $265 a month.

According to station KOB, the new system breaks down as this; persons 18-59 with no children would have to either work 20 hours a week (which would be filled by either getting a job, community service or participate in on-the-job training, and job placement could be provided by the state). Persons 18-59 with children would be exempt from the 20-hour work week stipulation, but still do community service or on-the-job training. Persons 16-17 would have to be in a school or training program to remain eligible.

Pregnant women, people with disabilities or those who are physically no longer able to work and parents or caregivers of children under the age of 6 would be exempt.

More than 414,000 New Mexicans currently receive food stamp assistance, according to the United States Department of Agriculture statistics. Kennicott said there would be a public hearing on August 29 in Santa Fe on the new proposal.

Opponents argue the new proposals may not include and actually disallow many people who need the help.

“We definitely think when you expand the number of people subject to mandatory work requirements, you’re obviously going to expand the number of people who can’t comply and who will be sanctioned out,” Louise Pocock, an attorney with New Mexico Center on Law Poverty said.

Pocock argues the job search requirements are already in place for adults 18-50 is too much of a burden.

“Yeah, we work directly with the populations that are affected by these employment programs, and we see on a daily basis how people struggle even if they do have minimum employment that complies with these programs,” she said. “They still struggle to put food on their tables.”