Bill Text: CT HB06757 | 2015 | General Assembly | Comm Sub


Bill Title: An Act Concerning The Disclosure Of Information Of Rental Housing Program Participants.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2015-05-22 - File Number 880 [HB06757 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2015-HB06757-Comm_Sub.html

General Assembly

 

Substitute Bill No. 6757

January Session, 2015

 

*_____HB06757GAE___041615____*

AN ACT CONCERNING THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION OF RENTAL HOUSING PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2015) (a) No person shall, except for purposes directly connected with the administration of programs of the Department of Housing and in accordance with the regulations of the commissioner, solicit, disclose, receive or make use of, or authorize, knowingly permit, participate in or acquiesce in the use of, any list of the names of, or any information concerning, persons applying for or receiving assistance from the Department of Housing or persons participating in a program administered by said department, directly or indirectly derived from the records, papers, files or communications of the state or its subdivisions or agencies, or acquired in the course of the performance of official duties. The Commissioner of Housing shall disclose (1) to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services any information necessary for the implementation and operation of the basic needs supplement program; (2) to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Administrative Services, the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection or the Commissioner of Social Services such information as the Commissioner of Housing determines is directly related to and necessary for the Department of Administrative Services, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection or the Department of Social Services to collect social services recoveries and overpayments or amounts due as support in social services cases, investigating social services fraud or locating absent parents of public assistance recipients; (3) to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Children and Families necessary information concerning a child or the immediate family of a child, including safety net services, if (A) the Commissioner of Children and Families or the Commissioner of Housing has determined that imminent danger to such child's health, safety or welfare exists to obtain the services of the family services programs administered by the Department of Children and Families, or (B) the Commissioner of Children and Families requires access to the federal Parent Locator Service established pursuant to 88 Stat. 2353 (1975), 42 USC 653 in order to identify a parent or putative parent of a child; (4) to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Early Childhood to carry out his or her respective responsibilities under programs that regulate child day care services or youth camps; (5) to a health insurance provider, in IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231 of the general statutes, information concerning a child and the custodial parent of such child that is necessary to enroll such child in a health insurance plan available through such provider when the noncustodial parent of such child is under court order to provide health insurance coverage but is unable to provide such information, provided the Commissioner of Housing determines, after providing prior notice of the disclosure to such custodial parent and an opportunity for such parent to object, that such disclosure is in the best interests of the child; (6) to any authorized representative of the Department of Correction, in IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231 of the general statutes, information concerning noncustodial parents that is necessary to identify inmates or parolees with IV-D support cases who may benefit from Department of Correction educational, training, skill building, work or rehabilitation programming that will significantly increase an inmate's or parolee's ability to fulfill such inmate's support obligation; (7) to any authorized representative of the Judicial Branch, in IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231 of the general statutes, information concerning noncustodial parents that is necessary to: (A) Identify noncustodial parents with IV-D support cases who may benefit from educational, training, skill building, work or rehabilitation programming that will significantly increase such parent's ability to fulfill such parent's support obligation, (B) assist in the administration of the Title IV-D child support program, or (C) assist in the identification of cases involving family violence; (8) to any authorized representative of the State Treasurer, in IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231 of the general statutes, information that is necessary to identify child support obligors who owe overdue child support prior to the Treasurer's payment of such obligors' claim for any property unclaimed or presumed abandoned under part III of chapter 32 of the general statutes; or (9) to any authorized representative of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management any information necessary for the implementation and operation of the renters rebate program established by section 12-170d of the general statutes. No person shall disclose any information obtained pursuant to this section, except as specified in this section. Any applicant for assistance provided through the Department of Housing shall be notified that, if and when such applicant receives benefits, the department will be providing law enforcement officials with the address of such applicant upon the request of any such official pursuant to section 2 of this act.

(b) In IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231 of the general statutes, in addition to the prohibitions of subsection (a) of this section, no information shall be released concerning the whereabouts of one party to another party (1) against whom a protective order, a restraining order or a standing criminal protective order with respect to the former party is in effect; or (2) if the department has reason to believe that the release of the information may result in physical or emotional harm to the former party.

(c) The Commissioner of Housing shall provide written notice to a person applying for or receiving assistance from the Department of Housing or a person participating in a program administered by said department that such person's address, telephone number and any other necessary information may be provided to the Department of Children and Families pursuant to subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of this section.

Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2015) The commissioner shall disclose the current address of an applicant or recipient of benefits under any program administered by the Department of Housing, unless prohibited by federal law, upon the request of a federal, state or local law enforcement officer if the following conditions are met:

(1) Such officer provides said department with the name of the recipient;

(2) (A) Such officer notifies said department that the recipient is fleeing to avoid prosecution, or custody or confinement after conviction, under the laws of the place from which the individual flees, for a crime, or an attempt to commit a crime, which is a felony or high misdemeanor under the laws of the place from which the individual flees, or violating a condition of probation or parole imposed under federal or state law as a result of the commission of such a felony or high misdemeanor, or (B) the recipient has information necessary for such officer to conduct official duties in relation to a crime committed or an attempt to commit a crime which is a felony or high misdemeanor in the state in which the crime is committed or attempted; and

(3) The location or apprehension of the recipient is within official duties of such officer.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

Section 1

October 1, 2015

New section

Sec. 2

October 1, 2015

New section

HSG

Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO

 

GAE

Joint Favorable

 
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