§ 136. Protection of public welfare records.
1.The names or\naddresses of persons applying for or receiving public assistance and\ncare shall not be included in any published report or printed in any\nnewspaper or reported at any public meeting except meetings of the\ncounty board of supervisors, city council, town board or other board or\nbody authorized and required to appropriate funds for public assistance\nand care in and for such county, city or town; nor shall such names and\naddresses and the amount received by or expended for such persons be\ndisclosed except to the commissioner of social services or his\nauthorized representative, such county, city or town board or body or\nits authorized representative, any other body or official required to\nhave such information properly t
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§ 136. Protection of public welfare records. 1. The names or\naddresses of persons applying for or receiving public assistance and\ncare shall not be included in any published report or printed in any\nnewspaper or reported at any public meeting except meetings of the\ncounty board of supervisors, city council, town board or other board or\nbody authorized and required to appropriate funds for public assistance\nand care in and for such county, city or town; nor shall such names and\naddresses and the amount received by or expended for such persons be\ndisclosed except to the commissioner of social services or his\nauthorized representative, such county, city or town board or body or\nits authorized representative, any other body or official required to\nhave such information properly to discharge its or his duties, or, by\nauthority of such county, city or town appropriating board or body or of\nthe social services official of the county, city or town, to a person or\nagency considered entitled to such information. However, if a bona fide\nnews disseminating firm or organization makes a written request to the\nsocial services official or the appropriating board or body of a county,\ncity or town to allow inspection by an authorized representative of such\nfirm or organization of the books and records of the disbursements made\nby such county, city or town for public assistance and care, such\nrequests shall be granted within five days and such firm or organization\nshall be considered entitled to the information contained in such books\nand records, provided such firm or organization shall give assurances in\nwriting that it will not publicly disclose, or participate or acquiesce\nin the public disclosure of, the names and addresses of applicants for\nand recipients of public assistance and care except as expressly\npermitted by subdivision four. If such firm or organization shall,\nafter giving such assurance, publicly disclose, or participate or\nacquiesce in the public disclosure of, the names and addresses of\napplicants for or recipients of public assistance and care except as\nexpressly permitted by subdivision four, then such firm or organization\nshall be deemed to have violated this section and such violation shall\nconstitute a misdemeanor. As used herein a news disseminating firm or\norganization shall mean and include: a newspaper; a newspaper service\nassociation or agency; a magazine; a radio or television station or\nsystem; a motion picture news agency.\n 2. All communications and information relating to a person receiving\npublic assistance or care obtained by any social services official,\nservice officer, or employee in the course of his or her work shall be\nconsidered confidential and, except as otherwise provided in this\nsection, shall be disclosed only to the commissioner, or his or her\nauthorized representative, the commissioner of labor, or his or her\nauthorized representative, the commissioner of health, or his or her\nauthorized representative, the welfare inspector general, or his or her\nauthorized representative, the county board of supervisors, city\ncouncil, town board or other board or body authorized and required to\nappropriate funds for public assistance and care in and for such county,\ncity or town or its authorized representative or, by authority of the\ncounty, city or town social services official, to a person or agency\nconsidered entitled to such information. Nothing herein shall preclude a\nsocial services official from reporting to an appropriate agency or\nofficial, including law enforcement agencies or officials, known or\nsuspected instances of physical or mental injury, sexual abuse or\nexploitation, sexual contact with a minor or negligent treatment or\nmaltreatment of a child of which the official becomes aware in the\nadministration of public assistance and care nor shall it preclude\ncommunication with the federal immigration and naturalization service\nregarding the immigration status of any individual.\n 3. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent registration\nin a central index or social service exchange for the purpose of\npreventing duplication and of coordinating the work of public and\nprivate agencies.\n 4. No person or agency shall solicit, disclose, receive, make use of,\nor authorize, knowingly permit, participate in, or acquiesce in the use\nof, any information relating to any applicant for or recipient of public\nassistance or care for commercial or political purposes. Nothing in\nthis or the other subdivisions of this section shall be deemed to\nprohibit bona fide news media from disseminating news, in the ordinary\ncourse of their lawful business, relating to the identity of persons\ncharged with the commission of crimes or offenses involving their\napplication for or receipt of public assistance and care, including the\nnames and addresses of such applicants or recipients who are charged\nwith the commission of such crimes or offenses.\n 5. A social services official shall disclose to a federal, state or\nlocal law enforcement officer, upon request of the officer, the current\naddress of any recipient of family assistance, or safety net assistance\nif the duties of the officer include the location or apprehension of the\nrecipient and the officer furnishes the social services official with\nthe name of the recipient and notifies the agency that such recipient is\nfleeing to avoid prosecution, custody or confinement after conviction,\nunder the laws of the place from which the recipient is fleeing, for a\ncrime or an attempt to commit a crime which is a felony under the laws\nof the place from which the recipient is fleeing, or which, in the case\nof the state of New Jersey, is a high misdemeanor under the laws of that\nstate, or is violating a condition of probation or parole imposed under\na federal or state law or has information that is necessary for the\nofficer to conduct his or her official duties. In a request for\ndisclosure pursuant to this subdivision, such law enforcement officer\nshall endeavor to include identifying information to help ensure that\nthe social services official discloses only the address of the person\nsought and not the address of a person with the same or similar name.\n