ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Gov. Susana Martinez's administration says it plans to redo a plan for imposing work requirements on low-income New Mexicans to qualify for food stamps. Human Services spokesman Matt Kennicott said Wednesday the state won't proceed with regulations it had hoped to implement this month. Instead, the Human Services Department will restart the regulatory process but propose the same workelated changes that have been challenged in court.
A state district judge last week temporarily blocked the Human Services Department from implementing new regulations affecting about 80,000 food stamp recipients.
The state was sued by social services advocates who contended the agency didn't follow proper procedures for adopting regulations to the food stamp program. Kennicott said the state hopes to avoid a potentially costly legal fight by starting over on new regulations.
