| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: |
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| | Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §4007, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 506, Pt. A, | §42, is repealed. |
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| | Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §4008, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 1979, c. 733, §18, is | amended to read: |
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| | 1. Confidentiality of records and information. All | department records which that contain personally identifying | information and are created or obtained in connection with the | department's child protective activities and activities related | to a child while in the care or custody of the department, and | all information contained in those records, are confidential and | subject to release only under the conditions of subsections 2 and | 3. Within the department, the records shall be available only to | and used by appropriate departmental personnel and legal counsel | for the department in carrying out their functions. |
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| Within the department, the records are available only to and may | be used only by appropriate departmental personnel and legal | counsel for the department in carrying out their functions. |
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| Any person who receives department records or information from | the department may use the records or information only for the | purposes for which that release was intended.__A person, | including, but not limited to, a child, parent, custodian or | subject of a record, may not further disseminate any record that | person receives from the department unless the dissemination is | otherwise required by law. |
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| | Sec. 3. 22 MRSA §4008, sub-§2, ¶A-1 is enacted to read: |
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| A-1.__A law enforcement agency, to the extent necessary for | reporting, investigating and prosecuting an alleged crime, | the victim of which is a department employee, an employee of | the Attorney General's Office, an employee of any court or | court system, a person mandated to report suspected abuse or | neglect, a person who has made a report to the department, a | person who has provided information to the department or an | attorney, guardian ad litem, party, participant, witness or | prospective witness in a child protection proceeding; |
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| | Sec. 4. 22 MRSA §4008, sub-§2, ¶¶D-1 and D-2 are enacted to read: |
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| D-1.__A parent, custodian or caretaker of a child when the | department believes the child may be at risk of harm from the | person who is the subject of the records or information, |
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