NRS425.400. Registry of information concerning responsible parents: Establishment; requests for information and assistance; failure to comply with request; disclosure of information.

      1.  The Division may establish a central unit to serve as a registry for the receipt of information, for answering inquiries concerning responsible parents, to coordinate and supervise departmental activities in relation to responsible parents and to ensure effective cooperation with law enforcement agencies.

      2.  To effectuate the purposes of this section, the Administrator or a prosecuting attorney may, in addition to the information the Chief is authorized to request pursuant to NRS 425.393, request all information and assistance as authorized by this chapter from the following persons and entities:

      (a) State, county and local agencies;

      (b) Public and private employers;

      (c) Employee organizations and trusts of every kind;

      (d) Financial institutions and entities which are in the business of providing credit reports; and

      (e) Public utilities.

      3.  The persons and entities described in subsection 2 and their officers and employees shall:

      (a) Cooperate in the location of a responsible parent who has abandoned or deserted, or is failing to support his or her child; and

      (b) Upon the request of the Division or the prosecuting attorney, provide all information on hand relative to the location, income and property of such a parent.

      4.  A disclosure made in good faith pursuant to subsection 3 does not give rise to any action for damages for the disclosure.

      5.  If a person or other entity fails to supply the information requested pursuant to subsection 2, the Administrator or prosecuting attorney may issue a subpoena to compel the person or entity to provide that information. A person or entity that fails to comply with a request made pursuant to subsection 2 is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $500 for each failure to comply.

      6.  Any record established pursuant to the provisions of this section is available only to:

      (a) The Attorney General;

      (b) A district attorney;

      (c) A court having jurisdiction in a paternity, support or abandonment proceeding or action;

      (d) The resident parent, legal guardian, attorney or agent of a child who is not receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families pursuant to Title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 601 et seq.); or

      (e) An agency of the Federal Government or of this or any other state as authorized by regulations of the Division adopted in accordance with the provisions of the Social Security Act.

      (Added to NRS by 1977, 722; A 1981, 353; 1993, 485, 2788; 1997, 2263, 2264)