Privacy Protections For Human Services Workers

Under current law, it is unlawful for a person to make available on the internet personal information of a law enforcement official (official) or child abuse or neglect caseworker (caseworker), or the official's or caseworker's family if the dissemination of the personal information poses an imminent and serious threat to the official's or caseworker's safety or the safety of his or her family. The act replaces the definition of "caseworker" in statute with a new definition of "human services worker" to include state and county employees, including county attorneys and contractors who are engaged in duties relating to the following matters and who have contact with the public regarding these duties: Investigating allegations of child abuse or neglect pursuant to article 3 of title 19; Investigating allegations of mistreatment of an at-risk adult pursuant to article 3.1 of title 26; Establishing, modifying, and enforcing child support orders pursuant to article 13 of title 26; and Determining eligibility for or investigating fraud in public programs established in article 2 of title 26. "Human services worker" also includes employees of juvenile detention facilities who have contact with juveniles. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)