A 7198: Relates to the unauthorized release of sealed records.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7198 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 21, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CHANDLER-WATERMAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the public officers law, in relation to the unauthorized release of sealed records The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public officers law is amended by adding a new section 2 72-b to read as follows: 3 § 72-b. Unauthorized release of sealed records. 1. Any public officer, 4 or an employee thereof, who intentionally releases or otherwise 5 discloses to an unauthorized person a sealed record or the nature, 6 substance or contents of such record that such officer knew or reason- 7 ably should have known was a sealed record, unless disclosure of such 8 record or the nature, substance or contents thereof is required by stat- 9 ute or upon written order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction, 10 shall be guilty of a class B misdemeanor. Such class B misdemeanor shall 11 be punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars. No 12 sentence of imprisonment shall be imposed. 13 2. Nothing contained in this section shall: 14 (a) prohibit an individual who is the subject of a sealed record or, 15 if such person is deceased, the personal representative of such person's 16 estate, from disclosing to another the nature, substance or contents of 17 such person's sealed record; 18 (b) prohibit a public officer, or an employee thereof, from releasing 19 or otherwise disclosing such record or the nature, substance or contents 20 thereof prior to the issuance of the order sealing such record; 21 (c) prohibit a public officer, or employee thereof, from discussing 22 events within such officer or employee's knowledge so long as such 23 discussion does not confirm or disclose the nature, substance or 24 contents of a sealed record; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD07958-01-5 
 A. 7198 2 1 (d) prohibit a public officer, or employee thereof, from releasing or 2 otherwise disclosing such record or the nature, substance or contents 3 thereof to a person if such officer has reason to believe, in good faith 4 and with sufficient cause, that such person is entitled to receive such 5 record or the nature, substance or contents thereof; or 6 (e) prohibit a public officer, or employee thereof, from disclosing 7 the nature or existence of a sealed record in a good faith response to 8 an inquiry when such disclosure is for the benefit of the subject of 9 such sealed record. 10 3. For the purposes of this section: 11 (a) "sealed record" shall mean any record required to be sealed pursu- 12 ant to section 160.50, 160.55, 160.58, 160.59, 720.15, or 725.15 of the 13 criminal procedure law, or section 375.1 or 375.2 of the family court 14 act; 15 (b) "unauthorized person" shall mean any person who is not entitled to 16 receive or who has not been granted access to, a sealed record or the 17 nature, substance or contents thereof, pursuant to statute or upon a 18 written order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction. 19 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.