As used in the New Mexico Works Act:
A. "applicant" means a person applying for cash assistance on behalf of a benefit group;
B. "benefit group" means a pregnant woman or a group of people that includes a dependent child, all of that dependent child's full, half or adopted siblings or stepsiblings living with the dependent child's parent or relative within the fifth degree of consanguinity and the parent with whom the children live;
C. "cash assistance" means cash payments funded by the temporary assistance for needy families block grant pursuant to the federal act and by state funds;
D. "department" means the human services department;
E. "dependent child" means a natural child, adopted child, stepchild or ward who is:
(1) seventeen years of age or younger;
(2) eighteen years of age and is enrolled in high school; or
(3) between eighteen and twenty-two years of age and is receiving special education services regulated by the public education department;
F. "director" means the director of the income support division of the department;
G. "earned income" means cash or payment in kind that is received as wages from employment or payment in lieu of wages; and 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;
H. "federal act" means the federal Social Security Act and rules promulgated pursuant to the Social Security Act;
I. "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;
J. "immigrant" means alien as defined in the federal act;
K. "parent" means natural parent, adoptive parent or stepparent;
L. "participant" means a recipient of cash assistance or services or a member of a benefit group who has reached the age of majority;
M. "person" means an individual;
N. "secretary" means the secretary of the department;
O. "services" 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;
P. "unearned income" 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; child support; unemployment compensation benefits; union benefits paid in cash; gifts and contributions; and real property income;
Q. "vehicle" means a conveyance for the transporting of individuals to or from employment, for the activities of daily living or for the transportation of goods; "vehicle" does not include any boat, trailer or mobile home used as a principal place of residence; and
R. "vocational education" means an organized educational program that is directly related to the preparation of a person for employment in a current or emerging occupation requiring training other than a baccalaureate or advanced degree. Vocational education must be provided by an educational or a training organization, such as a vocational-technical school, community college, post-secondary educational institution or proprietary school.
History: Laws 1998, ch. 8, § 3; 1998, ch. 9, § 3; 1999, ch. 273, § 1; 2001, ch. 295, § 1; 2001, ch. 326, § 1; 2003, ch. 311, § 2; 2003, ch. 432, § 2; 2007, ch. 350, § 1; 2009, ch. 186, § 2.
ANNOTATIONSCross references. — For the federal Social Security Act, see 42 U.S.C.S. § 301 et seq.
The 2009 amendment, effective June 19, 2009, in Subsection K, deleted "or legal guardian".
Applicability. — Laws 2009, ch. 186, § 7 provided that the provisions of Laws 2009, ch. 186 apply beginning August 1, 2009.
The 2007 amendment, effective June 15, 2007, adds the definition of "applicant" and "vocational education" in Subsections A and R.
The 2003 amendment, effective April 10, 2003, inserted Paragraph D(3), added paragraph designations, and added Subsection P.
The 2001 amendment, effective June 15, 2001, substituted the current definition in Subsection A for "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"; in Subsection D, inserted "or step-child" and deleted "a household group member" preceding "who is eighteen years of age"; in Subsection F, substituted "means" for "includes", inserted "and" preceding "earnings from self-employment" and deleted "and all other income not classified as earned income" from the end of the subsection; deleted former Subsection I, which defined "household group"; redesignated former Subsection J as I; deleted former Subsection K, which defined "landlord"; redesignated former Subsections L to P as J to N; deleted former Subsection Q, which defined "tenant"; redesignated former Subsection R as O; in Subsection O, substituted "means" for "includes", deleted "and similar kinds of income" from the end of the former version and added the language beginning "child support" to the end of current subsection.
The 1999 amendment, effective June 18, 1999, in Subsection D, substituted "seventeen years" for "eighteen years" and added "or a household group member who is eighteen years of age and is enrolled in high school", and in Subsection I, substituted "of people that consists of a benefit group and any other person who resides" for "including the benefit group of people".