HB329 Summary

• Amends Section 41-13-7, Code of Alabama 1975, to expand privacy protections for personal identifying information to include criminal justice sector employees at any level of government, not just state Merit System employees.

• Defines "employee" to include judges, district attorneys, deputy and assistant district attorneys, investigators, sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, jailors, and certified law enforcement officers, as well as honorably retired versions of these positions.

• Prohibits state departments, agencies, and regulatory boards from placing or revealing identifying information (including Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, financial account numbers, home addresses, biometric data, and similar information) on publicly available documents without express written consent.

• Exempts bona fide news organizations and authorized requests by federal or state agencies for legitimate government purposes, as well as documents originating from courts, taxing authorities, liens, security interests, and judgment records.

• Requires state agencies to redact or remove identifying information from public documents when consent has not been obtained, and becomes effective on the first day of the third month following passage and gubernatorial approval.