2004 Minnesota Statutes

     256.978 Location of parents, access to records. 

    Subdivision 1.    Request for information.  (a) The 
 public authority responsible for child support in this state or 
 any other state, in order to locate a person or to obtain 
 information necessary to establish paternity and child support 
 or to modify or enforce child support or distribute collections, 
 may request information reasonably necessary to the inquiry from 
 the records of (1) state agencies or political subdivisions of 
 this state, as defined in section 13.02, which shall, 
 notwithstanding the provisions of section 268.19 or any other 
 law to the contrary, provide the information necessary for this 
 purpose; and (2) employers, utility companies, insurance 
 companies, financial institutions, credit grantors, and labor 
 associations doing business in this state.  They shall provide a 
 response upon written or electronic request within 30 days of 
 service of the request made by the public authority.  
 Information requested and used or transmitted by the 
 commissioner according to the authority conferred by this 
 section may be made available to other agencies, statewide 
 systems, and political subdivisions of this state, and agencies 
 of other states, interstate information networks, federal 
 agencies, and other entities as required by federal regulation 
 or law for the administration of the child support enforcement 
 program.  

    (b) For purposes of this section, "state" includes the 
 District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 
 Islands, and any territory or insular possession subject to the 
 jurisdiction of the United States. 

    Subd. 2.    Access to information.  (a) A request for 
 information by the public authority responsible for child 
 support of this state or any other state may be made to: 

    (1) employers when there is reasonable cause to believe 
 that the subject of the inquiry is or was an employee or 
 independent contractor of the employer.  Information to be 
 released by employers of employees is limited to place of 
 residence, employment status, wage or payment information, 
 benefit information, and Social Security number.  Information to 
 be released by employers of independent contractors is limited 
 to place of residence or address, contract status, payment 
 information, benefit information, and Social Security number or 
 identification number; 

    (2) utility companies when there is reasonable cause to 
 believe that the subject of the inquiry is or was a retail 
 customer of the utility company.  Customer information to be 
 released by utility companies is limited to place of residence, 
 home telephone, work telephone, source of income, employer and 
 place of employment, and Social Security number; 

    (3) insurance companies when there is reasonable cause to 
 believe that the subject of the inquiry is or was receiving 
 funds either in the form of a lump sum or periodic payments.  
 Information to be released by insurance companies is limited to 
 place of residence, home telephone, work telephone, employer, 
 Social Security number, and amounts and type of payments made to 
 the subject of the inquiry; 

    (4) labor organizations when there is reasonable cause to 
 believe that the subject of the inquiry is or was a member of 
 the labor association.  Information to be released by labor 
 associations is limited to place of residence, home telephone, 
 work telephone, Social Security number, and current and past 
 employment information; and 

    (5) financial institutions when there is reasonable cause 
 to believe that the subject of the inquiry has or has had 
 accounts, stocks, loans, certificates of deposits, treasury 
 bills, life insurance policies, or other forms of financial 
 dealings with the institution.  Information to be released by 
 the financial institution is limited to place of residence, home 
 telephone, work telephone, identifying information on the type 
 of financial relationships, Social Security number, current 
 value of financial relationships, and current indebtedness of 
 the subject with the financial institution. 

    (b) For purposes of this subdivision, utility companies 
 include telephone companies, radio common carriers, and 
 telecommunications carriers as defined in section 237.01, and 
 companies that provide electrical, telephone, natural gas, 
 propane gas, oil, coal, or cable television services to retail 
 customers.  The term financial institution includes banks, 
 savings and loans, credit unions, brokerage firms, mortgage 
 companies, insurance companies, benefit associations, safe 
 deposit companies, money market mutual funds, or similar 
 entities authorized to do business in the state. 

    Subd. 3.    Immunity.  A person who releases information 
 to the public authority as authorized under this section is 
 immune from liability for release of the information. 

    HIST: 1963 c 401 s 1; 1982 c 488 s 1; 1984 c 654 art 5 s 58; 
 1988 c 668 s 3; 1989 c 184 art 2 s 10; 1993 c 340 s 7; 1995 c 
 257 art 3 s 1; 1997 c 66 s 79; 1997 c 203 art 6 s 11,12; 1997 c 
 245 art 3 s 6; 1999 c 245 art 7 s 3; 2000 c 458 s 2; 2000 c 468 
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