205.730 Cabinet's duty to locate custodial and noncustodial parents -- Enforcement of child support obligations -- Registry of information relating to parents -- Assistance from governmental agencies -- Limits on availability of information. (1) Unless the cabinet has reason to believe allegations of child abuse or domestic violence and that the disclosure of the information could be harmful to the custodial parent or the child of the parent, the cabinet shall attempt to locate a noncustodial parent of a child described in KRS 205.725, and establish or set an amount of modification, and enforce the child support obligation. (2) Upon the request of a putative father and for the purpose of establishing paternity only, the cabinet shall attempt to locate a custodial parent of a child described in KRS 205.712 if the cabinet finds the action to be in the best interest of the child. (3) If paternity is established for a child described in KRS 205.725 as a result of the location of the custodial parent, the cabinet shall establish a child support obligation or a modification for a child support obligation and shall enforce the child support obligation if the cabinet finds the enforcement of the order to be in the best interest of the child. (4) The cabinet shall serve as a registry for the receipt of information which directly relates to the identity or location of absent parents, and, upon request of a putative father, the location of a custodial parent, in order to establish paternity, to answer interstate inquiries concerning deserting parents or custodial parents, to coordinate and supervise any activity on a state level in search of an absent parent or custodial parent, to develop guidelines for coordinating activities of any governmental agency in providing information necessary for location of absent parents or custodial parents, to obtain information on the location of parents to enforce state and federal laws against parental kidnapping and to make or to enforce a child custody or visitation order, and is to process all requests received from an initiating county or an initiating state which has adopted the Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act or the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act. (5) In order to carry out responsibilities imposed under this chapter, the cabinet may request information and assistance from any governmental agency. All state, county, and city agencies, officers, and employees shall cooperate with the cabinet in determining the location of parents who have abandoned or deserted children and shall cooperate with the cabinet in determining the location of custodial parents for the purpose of establishing paternity with all pertinent information relative to the location, income and assets, property, and debt of the parents, notwithstanding any provision of state law making the information confidential. (6) The information which is obtained by the cabinet shall only be available to such governmental agency or political subdivision of any state for purposes of locating an absent parent to enforce the parent's obligation of support and for the purposes of location of custodial parents to establish paternity of putative fathers. Effective: July 15, 1998 History: Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 255, sec. 8, effective July 15, 1998. -- Amended 1994 Ky. Acts ch. 330, sec. 4, effective July 15, 1994. -- Amended 1978 Ky. Acts ch. 277, sec. 4, effective June 17, 1978. -- Created 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 343, sec. 6.