SNAP ELIGIBILITY BASED ON TANF ELIGIBILITY

SB0137

SENATE BILL 137

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

Crystal Brantley
and
James G. Townsend

AN ACT

RELATING TO PUBLIC ASSISTANCE; PROHIBITING CATEGORICAL
ELIGIBILITY FOR FEDERAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM BENEFITS BASED ON ELIGIBILITY IN THE TEMPORARY
ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES PROGRAM.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

SECTION 1.
[
NEW MATERIAL
] LIMITATION ON CATEGORICAL
ELIGIBILITY.--

A. As used in this section:

(1) "authority" means the health care
authority;

(2) "cash assistance" means monthly payments
of at least seventy-five dollars ($75.00) for at least six
consecutive months provided to eligible households pursuant to
cash assistance programs funded by legislative appropriations
of available block grant funding from the temporary assistance
for needy families program pursuant to the federal temporary
assistance for needy families program pursuant to the federal
Social Security Act; and

(3) "noncash benefits" means goods, services,
referrals, informational materials, hotline access, brochures,
digital resources or other nonmonetary benefits funded in whole
or in part by money made available pursuant to the federal
temporary assistance for needy families program pursuant to the
federal Social Security Act or other state maintenance-of-effort-funded payments.

B. The authority shall not designate, identify or
use any noncash benefit as a qualifying benefit for purposes of
conferring categorical eligibility for the federal supplemental
nutrition assistance program pursuant to 7 U.S.C. Section 2014,
as that section may be amended or renumbered, except as
provided in Subsection C of this section.

C. The authority may confer federal supplemental
nutrition assistance program categorical eligibility upon
households in which each member receives:

(1) cash assistance;

(2) social security benefits pursuant to the
federal Social Security Act; or

(3) general assistance benefits.

D. The authority shall not exclude, disregard or
deduct any federal supplemental nutrition assistance program
benefit or resource solely on the basis that such benefits or
resources are excluded pursuant to the state's temporary
assistance for needy families program or medicaid programs
unless expressly required by federal law.

E. The authority may adopt benefit or resource
policies for eligibility for the federal supplemental nutrition
assistance program only to the extent that:

(1) the authority is required to adopt such
policies by federal law; and

(2) such policies do not result in elimination
of the federal supplemental nutrition assistance program's
asset limit or expansion of gross income standards above
federal maximums.

F. The authority shall promulgate rules necessary
to implement the provisions of this section by April 1, 2027.

SECTION 2.
EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the
provisions of this act is January 1, 2027.

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