§ 6710 — Emergency disclosure

(a) General rule.--The Office of Victim Advocate shall establish a system to respond to requests for emergency disclosures that will provide for 24-hour access to a program participant's actual address.

(b) Request for emergency disclosure.--A government agency may request that the Office of Victim Advocate disclose a program participant's actual address through the system established pursuant to subsection (a). The Office of Victim Advocate shall disclose a program participant's actual address if the disclosure:

(1) will prevent physical harm to a program participant or to a program participant's family member; or

(2) is made to a law enforcement agency for law enforcement purposes and the circumstances warrant immediate disclosure.

(c) Requirements for emergency disclosure.--Prior to disclosing a program participant's actual address pursuant to this section, the Office of Victim Advocate shall require:

(1) verification of the requester's identity and the requester's employment with a government agency;

(2) verification of the stated reason for the request to adequately ensure that emergency disclosure is required pursuant to subsection (b);

(3) proof, to the satisfaction of the Office of Victim Advocate, that other methods to locate the program participant or the program participant's actual address have been tried and have failed or that the methods reasonably appear to be unlikely to succeed given the circumstances of the stated reason for the request;

(4) that the program participant's actual address only be used by the requester or the agency to the extent necessary to respond to the stated reason for the request;

(5) that the requester and the requester's agency maintain the confidentiality of the actual address of the program participant; and

(6) that the requester and the requester's agency agree to dispose of the program participant's actual address as soon as practicable after the circumstances surrounding the stated reason for the request no longer require emergency disclosure pursuant to this section.

Legislative History

Cross References.Section 6710 is referred to in section 6708 of this title.