Tennessee § 40-38-602 - Crime victim address confidentiality program.

§ 40-38-602. Crime victim address confidentiality program.

The secretary of state shall establish a crime victim address confidentiality program, which must be open to all Tennessee residents who are victims of domestic abuse, stalking, human trafficking, rape, sexual battery, or any other sexual offense who satisfy the requirements of this part, at no cost to the program participant. This program shall provide the participant with the use of a substitute address for the participant and the participant's minor children and shall not disclose the participant's name, confidential address, phone number, or any other information contained within the program participant's file except as otherwise provided by this part. Whenever a program participant is required by law to swear to or affirm the participant's address, the participant may use the participant's substitute address. Wherever a program participant is required by law to establish residency, the participant may present evidence of program participation and use the participant's substitute address. Where residency must be verified in order to establish eligibility for public benefits, the governmental entity requiring verification shall submit a written request to the secretary of state, on a form prescribed by the secretary of state, whereby the secretary of state shall provide the governmental entity with a statement as to whether the program participant, or the program participant's minor child, or a person with a disability on whose behalf the person is applying, is eligible for benefits, based on the information known to the secretary of state. The substitute address shall not be used: For purposes of listing, appraising, or assessing property taxes and collecting property taxes; or On any document related to real property recorded with a county clerk and recorder. Notwithstanding any other applicable law, the substitute address may be used for motor vehicle records and may be printed on a person's driver or photo identification license. Except as otherwise provided in this part, a program participant's confidential address, and any other information contained within a program participant's file, maintained by a state or local government agency, or disclosed by the secretary of state under this part, is not a public record. This subsection (f) shall not apply: To any public record created more than thirty (30) days prior to the date that the program participant applied to be certified in the program; or If a program participant voluntarily requests that a state or local government agency use the participant's confidential address or voluntarily gives the confidential address to the state or local government agency, except voter registration records and absentee ballot requests shall be confidential for purposes of this part. For any public record created within thirty (30) days prior to the date that a program participant applied to be certified in the program, a state or local governmental agency shall redact the confidential address from a public record or change the confidential address to the substitute address in the public record, if a program participant presents evidence of program certification and requests the agency that maintains the public record to use the substitute address instead of the confidential address on the public record. Except as provided in this part, where a program participant has provided evidence of program participation to a governmental entity, any record that includes a program participant's confidential address pursuant to this part shall be confidential and not available for inspection by anyone other than the program participant. Notwithstanding any other applicable law, documentation concerning any tool of designation or identification or internal processes implemented by a governmental entity in documenting program participation within the governmental entity's records shall be confidential and not available for inspection. An application or voter registration form completed under this part, along with any supporting materials, is not a public record that is subject to inspection and shall be kept confidential. Acts 2018, ch. 1004, § 1; 2020, ch. 577, § 2. Compiler's Notes. Acts 2018, ch. 1004, § 4 provided that the secretary of state is authorized to promulgate rules in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, to implement the provisions of this act. Amendments. The 2020 amendment, in (a), substituted “must” for “shall”, “all Tennessee residents who are victims” for “a victim” and “satisfy” for “satisfies”. Effective Dates. Acts 2020, ch. 577, § 6. March 19, 2020. Cross-References. Confidentiality of public records, § 10-7-504 .