2023 Tennessee Code › Title 71 - WELFARE (§§ 71-1-101 — 71-7-103) › Chapter 1 - ADMINISTRATION (§§ 71-1-101 — 71-1-205) › Part 1 - DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES (§§ 71-1-101 — 71-1-135) › Section 71-1-131 - Confidentiality of records

(a)
(1)
(A)
The records of the department, its contractors or agents concerning the provision of Title IV-D child or spousal support services shall be confidential and information in such records shall not be subject to public inspection by any person or entity and the records shall not be used in judicial, administrative or legislative proceedings or for law enforcement activities, except as otherwise provided in this section.
(B)
Any information provided to the department, its contractors or agents by any other state or federal agencies or other entities, that is required by federal or state law or regulations to be provided to the department as part of the department's Title IV-D responsibilities to establish, enforce or modify child or spousal support, but which information is otherwise protected as confidential by the laws or regulations of the United States or by any state's, territory's or other government's law or regulations, shall also be confidential, and shall be held by the department in a confidential manner. Such information shall also not be subject to public inspection by any person or entity and shall not be used in judicial, administrative or legislative proceedings or for law enforcement activities, except as otherwise provided in this section.
(C)
Except as limited by subdivision (a)(2), the department, its contractors or agents may disclose any information in the records of the Title IV-D child or spousal support records for purposes directly connected with the establishment of paternity or the establishment, modification, or enforcement of child or spousal support in any judicial or administrative proceeding or for the administration of any part of the child support program.
(2)
Except where information in the child or spousal support record provided to the department pursuant to any federal or state law or regulation for purposes related to the establishment, enforcement or modification of child or spousal support under the Title IV-D child support program is otherwise specifically protected from further disclosure or further use by any other federal, state, territorial or other government law or regulation, the department is specifically authorized to further utilize or further disclose any information from the Title IV-D child or spousal support records for any purposes that it determines in its sole discretion are directly connected with:
(A)
The administration of the plan or program approved under Parts A, B, D, or E of Title IV of the Social Security Act or under Titles I, XIV, XIX, or XX of the Social Security Act, or the supplemental security income program (SSI) established under Title XVI of the Social Security Act;
(B)
Any investigations, prosecutions, or civil, criminal or administrative proceeding conducted in connection with the administration of any such plan or program under subdivision (a)(2)(A);
(C)
The administration of any other federal or federally assisted program that provides assistance, in cash or in kind, or services, directly to individuals on the basis of need;
(D)
Reporting to an appropriate agency or official, information on known or suspected instances of physical or mental injury, sexual abuse or exploitation, or negligent treatment or maltreatment of a child who is the subject of a child enforcement activity under circumstances that indicate that the child's health or welfare is threatened by such treatment;
(E)
A response to a request for child support payment records of a child support obligor; and
(F)
Inquiries from legislative representatives of an obligor or obligee concerning child support payment records or child support legal and administrative procedures utilized to attempt recovery of support payments involved in individual cases under a support order upon a release for that person authorized in any suitable manner as determined by the department or its contractors by the affected person. An inquiry and release by one party under this subdivision (a)(2)(F) does not authorize release of information involving the other party other than the child support payment record and child support legal or administrative procedures utilized to attempt recovery of support payments from the other party. Nothing in this subdivision (a)(2)(F) shall be construed to authorize release of any information that is otherwise protected as confidential pursuant to this section.
(3)
(A)
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section and any other law to the contrary, no information shall be disclosed by the department pursuant to this section from Title IV-D records maintained by the department, its contractors or agents when:
(i)
A protective order has been entered against one party and the release of information from such record would disclose the whereabouts of the party or the child for whose benefit the protective order was entered; or
(ii)
The department, its contractors or agents have reason to believe that the release of information concerning the whereabouts of one party or the child to another person may result in physical or emotional harm to the party or the child.
(B)
In situations in which the prohibitions of subdivisions (a)(3)(A)(i) and (ii) arise, the department shall notify the secretary of health and human services if it determines that there exists reasonable evidence of domestic violence or child abuse against a party or the child and that the disclosure of such information could be harmful to the party or the child.
(C)
When a disclosure of information is made from the United States department of health and human services' federal parent locator service (FPLS) to a court of this state or an agent of the court of this state, and the court is notified that FPLS has reasonable evidence to show that domestic violence or child abuse has occurred, the court shall determine whether disclosure to any other person of information received from FPLS could be harmful to the parent or child and, if the court determines that disclosure to any other person could be harmful, the court and its agents shall not make such disclosure.
(4)
Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, when any information regarding a consumer report, as defined in
15 U.S.C. § 1681a
, from a consumer reporting agency is obtained by the department, its contractors or agents, such information will be kept confidential and will be used solely for the purposes of establishing an individual's capacity to make child or spousal support payments or in determining the appropriate level of such payments, and such report shall be confidential and will not be available by subpoena or court order for any civil, criminal, or administrative proceeding, law enforcement activity or for any other purpose, except for the purpose of the establishment, enforcement and modification of child or spousal support obligations by the department, or by any federal, state, territorial, or foreign child or spousal support enforcement agency, or by their contractors or agents.
(5)
Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, any financial information obtained from a financial institution by the department, its contractors or agents regarding an individual shall be confidential and will not be available by subpoena or court order for any civil, criminal or administrative proceeding, law enforcement activity or for any other purpose, and shall be disclosed only for the purpose of and to the extent necessary for the establishment, enforcement and modification of child or spousal support obligations by the department, its contractors or agents or by any federal, state, territorial, or foreign child support enforcement agency or their contractors or agents.
(6)
Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, any information that is required to be given to the department of human services, its contractors or agents by any requirement of federal or state law or regulations as part of the department's responsibilities to enforce child or spousal support, but that is otherwise not subject to subdivisions (a)(4) and (a)(5), and that is otherwise ordinarily protected by federal or state law or regulations from disclosure or use because it is protected as confidential information, shall be confidential and shall not be available by subpoena or court order for any civil, criminal, administrative proceeding, law enforcement activity, or for any other purpose. Such information shall be disclosed only to the extent permitted by such federal or state laws or regulations, or only for the purpose of and to the extent necessary for the establishment, enforcement and modification of child support obligations by the department, its contractors or agents or by any federal, state, territorial, or foreign child support enforcement agency or their contractors or agents.
(7)
(A)
(i)
Except as released pursuant to subdivision (a)(2) by the department, its contractors or agents, and except as prohibited by subdivisions (a)(3) - (a)(6), the records or portions of records or testimony of current or former employees, agents or contractors of the department concerning the Title IV-D child support program may be released only pursuant to a written order for their disclosure issued by a judicial or administrative tribunal and served personally upon the commissioner of human services or the commissioner's designee at least five (5) business days prior to the date designated for disclosure. A subpoena shall not be sufficient to obtain the disclosure of Title IV-D child support records. Unless waived by the department, any order for disclosure not properly served shall be void and of no effect whatsoever.
(ii)
Except as necessary for use in a judicial proceeding or an administrative proceeding concerning a Title IV-D child or spousal support matter in which such records must be disclosed, and for any appeal from the proceeding, any records of the Title IV-D child support program that may be ordered disclosed pursuant to this subdivision (a)(7)(A) for use in any other civil or criminal judicial or other administrative proceeding must also have a written protective order issued by the court or administrative law judge or hearing officer and served upon the commissioner of human services prior to the release of the records pursuant to this subdivision (a)(7)(A). The protective order shall state that there will be no further disclosure beyond the necessary use by the tribunal and the parties for the conduct of those proceedings. The department shall not be required to disclose any records until the receipt of the protective order by the department or its designee.
(B)
The department may comply with a properly served order issued by a state or local judicial or administrative tribunal pursuant to this subdivision (a)(7) by sending copies of pertinent portions of the record requested, or by sending an abstract of the pertinent information from its computer records or other records, in a sealed envelope addressed to the court or administrative body or the person taking a deposition, together with an affidavit of an authorized agent of the department attesting to the authenticity of the record, unless the court or administrative body, for good cause shown, enters an order in the record requiring the attendance of a department, contractor or agent employee at the proceeding.
(C)
The department, its contractors or agents may file a motion to quash or modify any subpoena or order for disclosure issued by any judicial or administrative tribunal or by any legislative entity, and no records shall be disclosed pursuant to any subpoena or order until the conclusion, including appeal, of the proceedings seeking to quash or modify the subpoena or order.
(8)
A knowing violation of the provisions restricting the disclosure of information pursuant to this section shall be a Class B misdemeanor.
(b)
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, information that is required to be provided to the department of human services, its contractors or agents by the department of labor and workforce development shall not be further disclosed or utilized except to the extent permitted and for the purposes allowable pursuant to §
50-7-701
or under applicable federal or state law or regulations.
Acts 1997, ch. 551, § 10; 1998, ch. 1098, §§ 65 - 67; 1999, ch. 520, § 47.