§52. Address confidentiality program; application; certification; substitute address; renewal; prohibited acts; penalties

A.(1) The Louisiana Department of State Address Confidentiality Program is hereby established to provide for the confidentiality of the physical addresses of program participants who are victims of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking.

(2) The secretary of state shall promulgate and adopt rules as necessary to effectuate the provisions and purposes of this Part. Any act or omission of the secretary of state in the implementation of the provisions of this Part shall be reviewable upon filing a petition for judicial review in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court. However, the secretary of state, his employees, application assistance agencies or organizations designated under R.S. 44:56, and the employees or volunteers of such agencies or organizations shall not be liable for any injury, loss, or damage resulting from any act or omission under this Part, except when such injury, loss, or damage is caused by an act or omission described in Paragraph (3) or (4) of Subsection B of this Section that is criminal, grossly negligent, intentional, or willful.

(3) The following persons may make application to the secretary of state to participate in the address confidentiality program:

(a) Any person who is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking and fears for his or her safety.

(b) A parent on behalf of his minor child, which child is the victim of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking, and for whom the parent fears for the safety.

(c) A guardian on behalf of a minor or incapacitated person in his care, which minor or incapacitated person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking, and for whom the guardian fears for the safety.

(4) An application to the secretary of state for certification to participate in the address confidentiality program shall include the following:

(a) A sworn statement by the applicant attesting that the applicant has good reason to believe:

(i) That the applicant or the minor or incapacitated person on whose behalf the application is made is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking; and

(ii) That the applicant fears for his or her safety, or the safety of the minor or incapacitated person on whose behalf the application is made.

(b) A designation of the secretary of state as agent for purposes of service of process and receipt of mail.

(c) The mailing address and the telephone number or numbers where the applicant can be contacted by the secretary of state.

(d) The physical address or addresses that the applicant requests not be disclosed for the reason that disclosure will increase the risk of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking.

(e) A statement attesting that the applicant understands that as program participant, if he is a registered voter, he voluntarily waives his right to vote in person during early voting or at the polls on election day, but is eligible to vote absentee by mail.

(f) The signature of the applicant and the signature of any person who assisted the applicant in completing the application, as authorized in R.S. 44:56.

B.(1) Applications shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state.

(2) Upon the filing of a properly completed application, the secretary of state shall certify the applicant as a program participant. Such certification shall be valid for four years following the date of filing unless the certification is canceled. The secretary of state may establish a renewal procedure for program participants by administrative rule in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. The secretary of state shall designate a substitute address to each program participant. The secretary of state shall forward all first-class mail to each program participant's physical address.

(3) A person who falsely attests in an application that the applicant or the minor or incapacitated person on whose behalf the application is made is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking, or falsely attests that the applicant fears for his or her safety, or the safety of the minor or incapacitated person on whose behalf the application is made, or who knowingly provides false or incorrect information upon making an application, is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars or be imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. On a second offense, or any succeeding offense, the penalty shall be a fine of not more than two thousand five hundred dollars or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.

(4) No person shall intentionally, and knowing that he is not authorized to do so, obtain or cause the release of a program participant's physical address from the secretary of state, a state agency, a parish or local governmental agency, a law enforcement agency, or an application assistance agency or organization designated pursuant to R.S. 44:56. Whoever violates the provisions of this Paragraph is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined not more than two thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. On a second offense, or any succeeding offense, the penalty shall be a fine of not more than three thousand five hundred dollars or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.

Acts 2006, No. 613, §1; Acts 2007, No. 199, §1.