| HOUSE AMENDED |
| PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 538 | PRINTER'S NO. 1334 |
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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| SENATE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY BROWNE, BOSCOLA, ORIE, ALLOWAY, O'PAKE, ERICKSON, COSTA, WOZNIAK, EARLL, WASHINGTON, FOLMER, RAFFERTY, FERLO AND WILLIAMS, MARCH 2, 2009 |
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| AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, JULY 21, 2009 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the |
2 | Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for interagency |
3 | information sharing. |
4 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
5 | hereby enacts as follows: |
6 | Section 1. Title 42 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated |
7 | Statutes is amended by adding a section to read: |
8 | § 6352.2. Interagency information sharing. |
9 | (a) General rule.--The contents of county agency, drug and |
10 | alcohol, mental health and education records regarding a child |
11 | who is the subject of an open child protective services or |
12 | general protective services investigation, who is alleged to be |
13 | dependent, who has been accepted for service by a county agency, |
14 | who has been placed under supervision under an informal |
15 | adjustment or consent decree, who has been found to have |
16 | committed a delinquent act or who has been found to be dependent |
17 | or delinquent shall be provided, upon request, to the county |
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1 | agency, court or juvenile probation department, under and except |
2 | as prohibited by the following: |
3 | (1) This chapter. |
4 | (2) Section 5944 (relating to confidential |
5 | communications to psychiatrists or licensed psychologists). |
6 | (3) The act of November 29, 1990 (P.L.585, No.148), |
7 | known as the Confidentiality of HIV-Related Information Act. |
8 | (4) The act of July 9, 1976 (P.L.817, No.143), known as |
9 | the Mental Health Procedures Act. |
10 | (5) The act of February 13, 1970 (P.L.19, No.10), |
11 | entitled "An act enabling certain minors to consent to |
12 | medical, dental and health services, declaring consent |
13 | unnecessary under certain circumstances." |
14 | (6) Federal law, including the Family Educational Rights | <-- |
15 | and Privacy Act of 1974 (Public Law 90-247, 20 U.S.C. § |
16 | 1232g), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability |
17 | Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-191, 110 Stat. 1936) and the |
18 | procedures, limitations and criteria set forth in regulations |
19 | adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services |
20 | relating to the confidentiality of drug and alcohol records. |
21 | (b) Sharing of information.-- |
22 | (1) The county agency, court or juvenile probation |
23 | department shall, in accordance with the procedures |
24 | established under this section, use the information contained |
25 | in the records in furtherance of a disposition under this |
26 | chapter of the child who is the subject of the records. |
27 | Unless otherwise prohibited by this chapter or by the |
28 | statutes or regulations listed under subsection (a)(2), (3), |
29 | (4), (5) and (6), the information contained in the records |
30 | may, notwithstanding any other provision of law, be shared |
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1 | among authorized representatives of the county agency, court |
2 | and juvenile probation department in furtherance of a |
3 | disposition under this chapter of the child, or, if no child- |
4 | specific or other confidential information is disclosed, in |
5 | furtherance of efforts to identify and provide services to |
6 | children who are determined to be at risk of child abuse, |
7 | parental neglect or initial or additional delinquent |
8 | behavior. |
9 | (2) Unless otherwise prohibited under this chapter or by |
10 | the statutes or regulations listed under subsection (a)(2), |
11 | (3), (4), (5) and (6), the information under paragraph (1) |
12 | may also be shared with other agencies or entities if there |
13 | is a specific need to do so. The information shall be shared |
14 | for the limited purposes set forth under this section under |
15 | an interagency information-sharing agreement developed under |
16 | subsection (c) or upon order of court or the written consent |
17 | of the parent or guardian of the child who is the subject of |
18 | the records or any person otherwise having the authority to |
19 | consent to the sharing of the information. |
20 | (c) Interagency information sharing agreements.-- |
21 | (1) Subject to approval of the court and the |
22 | requirements of this chapter and the statutes and regulations |
23 | listed under subsection (a)(2), (3), (4), (5) and (6), an |
24 | interagency information sharing agreement may be developed in |
25 | each county between the county agency, juvenile probation |
26 | department, local law enforcement agencies, mental health |
27 | agencies, drug and alcohol agencies, local school districts, |
28 | and other agencies and entities as deemed appropriate, to |
29 | enhance the coordination of case management services to and |
30 | the supervision of children who have been accepted for |
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1 | service by a county agency, who are being supervised under an |
2 | informal adjustment or a consent decree, who have been found |
3 | to have committed a delinquent act or who have been found to |
4 | be dependent or delinquent, and to enhance the coordination |
5 | of efforts to identify children who may be at risk of child |
6 | abuse, parental neglect or initial or additional delinquent |
7 | behavior and to provide services to these children and their |
8 | families. Any such agreement shall be signed by the chief |
9 | executive officers of the entities referred to in this |
10 | section as well as the public defender's office and guardian |
11 | ad litem in each county and shall be submitted to the court |
12 | for approval. In counties that do not have agencies with | <-- |
13 | primary responsibility for representing delinquent or |
14 | dependent children, the court shall designate lawyers with |
15 | experience in representing those children to satisfy the |
16 | requirements of this paragraph. |
17 | (2) All interagency information sharing agreements |
18 | shall, at a minimum, do all of the following: |
19 | (i) Provide that information will be shared under |
20 | this chapter and the statutes or regulations listed under |
21 | subsection (a)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) to enhance |
22 | the coordination of case management services to and the |
23 | supervision of children who have been found to be |
24 | dependent or delinquent, who are being supervised under |
25 | an informal adjustment or a consent decree, who have been |
26 | found to have committed a delinquent act or who have been |
27 | accepted for service by a county agency, and to enhance |
28 | the coordination of efforts to identify children who may |
29 | be at risk of child abuse, parental neglect or initial or |
30 | additional delinquent behavior and to provide services to |
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1 | these children and their families. |
2 | (ii) Provide that, whenever possible, the preferred |
3 | method for obtaining authorization to share confidential |
4 | information shall be upon the written, informed consent |
5 | of the person authorized under applicable law to consent |
6 | to the release of information after that person has been |
7 | provided a full understanding of the circumstances under |
8 | which and with whom the information will be shared. In | <-- |
9 | counties that do not have agencies with primary |
10 | responsibility for representing delinquent or dependent |
11 | children, the court shall designate lawyers with |
12 | experience in representing these children to satisfy the |
13 | requirements of this subparagraph. |
14 | (iii) Set forth the specific activities in which the |
15 | signatories and their representatives will engage, either |
16 | collectively or individually, in furtherance of the |
17 | purposes of the agreement. |
18 | (iv) Prohibit the release of information shared |
19 | under this agreement with other parties, except as |
20 | otherwise required or permitted by statute. |
21 | Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days. |
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