Definitions

454.440. Definitions — division may use parent locator service, when — financial entities to provide information, when, penalty for refusal, immunity — statement of absent parents, contents — prohibited acts, penalties — confidentiality of records, exceptions, penalties. — 1. As used in this section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the following terms mean:

(1) "Business" includes any corporation, partnership, association, individual, and labor or other organization including, but not limited to, a public utility or cable company;

(2) "Division", the Missouri family support division of the department of social services;

(3) "Financial entity" includes any bank, trust company, savings and loan association, credit union, insurance company, or any corporation, association, partnership, or individual receiving or accepting money or its equivalent on deposit as a business;

(4) "Government agency", any department, board, bureau or other agency of this state or any political subdivision of the state;

(5) "Information" includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the following items:

(a) Full name of the parent;

(b) Social Security number of the parent;

(c) Date of birth of the parent;

(d) Last known mailing and residential address of the parent;

(e) Amount of wages, salaries, earnings or commissions earned by or paid to the parent;

(f) Number of dependents declared by the parent on state and federal tax information and reporting forms;

(g) Name of company, policy numbers and dependent coverage for any medical insurance carried by or on behalf of the parent;

(h) Name of company, policy numbers and cash values, if any, for any life insurance policies or annuity contracts, carried by or on behalf of, or owned by, the parent;

(i) Any retirement benefits, pension plans or stock purchase plans maintained on behalf of, or owned by, the parent and the values thereof, employee contributions thereto, and the extent to which each benefit or plan is vested;

(j) Vital statistics, including records of marriage, birth or divorce;

(k) Tax and revenue records, including information on residence address, employer, income or assets;

(l) Records concerning real or personal property;

(m) Records of occupational, professional or recreational licenses or permits;

(n) Records concerning the ownership and control of corporations, partnerships or other businesses;

(o) Employment security records;

(p) Records concerning motor vehicles;

(q) Records of assets or liabilities;

(r) Corrections records;

(s) Names and addresses of employers of parents;

(t) Motor vehicle records; and

(u) Law enforcement records;

(6) "Parent", a biological or adoptive parent, including a presumed or putative father. The word parent shall also include any person who has been found to be such by:

(a) A court of competent jurisdiction in an action for dissolution of marriage, legal separation, or establishment of the parent and child relationship;

(b) The division under section 454.485;

(c) Operation of law under section 210.823; or

(d) A court or administrative tribunal of another state.

2. For the purpose of locating and determining financial resources of the parents relating to establishment of paternity or to establish, modify or enforce support orders, the division or other state IV-D agency may request and receive information from the federal Parent Locator Service, from available records in other states, territories and the District of Columbia, from the records of all government agencies, and from businesses and financial entities. A request for information from a public utility or cable television company shall be made by subpoena authorized pursuant to this chapter. The government agencies, businesses, and financial entities shall provide information, if known or chronicled in their business records, notwithstanding any other provision of law making the information confidential. In addition, the division may use all sources of information and available records and, pursuant to agreement with the secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, or the secretary's designee, request and receive from the federal Parent Locator Service information pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Sections 653 and 663, to determine the whereabouts of any parent or child when such information is to be used to locate the parent or child to enforce any state or federal law with respect to the unlawful taking or restraining of a child, or of making or enforcing a child custody or visitation order.

3. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 2 of this section, no financial entity shall be required to provide the information requested by the division or other state IV-D agency unless the division or other state IV-D agency alleges that the parent about whom the information is sought is an officer, agent, member, employee, depositor, customer or the insured of the financial institution, or unless the division or other state IV-D agency has complied with the provisions of section 660.330.

4. Any business or financial entity which has received a request from the division or other state IV-D agency as provided by subsections 2 and 3 of this section shall provide the requested information or a statement that any or all of the requested information is not known or available to the business or financial entity, within sixty days of receipt of the request and shall be liable to the state for civil penalties up to one hundred dollars for each day after such sixty-day period in which it fails to provide the information so requested. Upon request of the division or other state IV-D agency, the attorney general shall bring an action in a circuit court of competent jurisdiction to recover the civil penalty. The court shall have the authority to determine the amount of the civil penalty to be assessed.

5. Any business or financial entity, or any officer, agent or employee of such entity, participating in good faith in providing information requested pursuant to subsections 2 and 3 of this section shall be immune from liability, civil or criminal, that might otherwise result from the release of such information to the division.

6. Upon request of the division or other state IV-D agency, any parent shall complete a statement under oath, upon such form as the division or other state IV-D agency may specify, providing information, including, but not necessarily limited to, the parent's monthly income, the parent's total income for the previous year, the number and name of the parent's dependents and the amount of support the parent provides to each, the nature and extent of the parent's assets, and such other information pertinent to the support of the dependent as the division or other state IV-D agency may request. Upon request of the division or other state IV-D agency, such statements shall be completed annually. Failure to comply with this subsection is a class A misdemeanor.

7. The disclosure of any information provided to the business or financial entity by the division or other state IV-D agency, or the disclosure of any information regarding the identity of any applicant for or recipient of public assistance, by an officer or employee of any business or financial entity, or by any person receiving such information from such employee or officer is prohibited. Any person violating this subsection is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

8. Any person who willfully requests, obtains or seeks to obtain information pursuant to this section under false pretenses, or who willfully communicates or seeks to communicate such information to any agency or person except pursuant to this chapter, is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

9. For the protection of applicants and recipients of services pursuant to sections 454.400 to 454.645, all officers and employees of, and persons and entities under contract to, the state of Missouri are prohibited, except as otherwise provided in this subsection, from disclosing any information obtained by them in the discharge of their official duties relative to the identity of applicants for or recipients of services or relating to proceedings or actions to establish paternity or to establish or enforce support, or relating to the contents of any records, files, papers and communications, except in the administration of the child support program or the administration of public assistance, including civil or criminal proceedings or investigations conducted in connection with the administration of the child support program or the administration of public assistance. Such officers, employees, persons or entities are specifically prohibited from disclosing any information relating to the location of one party to another party:

(1) If a protective order has been entered against the other party; or

(2) If there is reason to believe that such disclosure of information may result in physical or emotional harm to the other party. ­­­