§ 40-6-12. Records as to assistance.
(a) All records pertaining to the administration of public assistance pursuant to this
chapter and chapter 8 of this title are hereby declared to constitute confidential
matter. It shall be unlawful for any person to make use of, or cause to be used, any
information contained in records for purposes not directly connected with the administration
thereof, except with the consent of the individual concerned.
(b) The director of the department shall have the power to establish rules and regulations
governing the custody, use, and preservation of the records, papers, files,
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§ 40-6-12. Records as to assistance.
(a) All records pertaining to the administration of public assistance pursuant to this
chapter and chapter 8 of this title are hereby declared to constitute confidential
matter. It shall be unlawful for any person to make use of, or cause to be used, any
information contained in records for purposes not directly connected with the administration
thereof, except with the consent of the individual concerned.
(b) The director of the department shall have the power to establish rules and regulations
governing the custody, use, and preservation of the records, papers, files, and communications
dealing with the administration of public assistance. The rules and regulations shall
have the same force and effect as law. The records shall be produced in response to
subpoena duces tecum properly issued by any federal or state court; provided, however,
that the purpose for which the subpoena is sought is directly connected with the administration
of public assistance. No subpoena shall be issued by a court asking either for the
records, or for persons having custody or access to the records, unless the litigation
involved in such matters is directly connected with the administration of public assistance.
(c) Any person, who by law is entitled to a list of individuals receiving any of the assistance
as provided in this section, shall not publish, or cause to be published, the list
except by the express consent of the director of the department, or to make use thereof
for purposes not directly connected with the administration thereof. Any person violating
any of the provisions of this section, or the lawful rules and regulations made pursuant
to this section, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be fined not more than
two hundred dollars ($200) or shall be imprisoned for not more than six (6) months,
or both.
(d) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit the director of the department,
or his or her agents duly authorized for that purpose, from issuing any statistical
material or data, or publishing, or causing the data to be published, whenever he
or she shall deem it to be in the public interest. The director of the department
may inquire into the records of any state department or agency in the course of his
or her administration of public assistance.