(a) The Director of Corrections shall ensure that documents, computers, or computer accessible media containing personal information relating to an employee of the Department of Corrections are not removed from the state prison without proper authorization from the warden or his or her designee.

(b) Any employee of the Department of Corrections who, without proper authorization, knowingly removes personal information relating to an employee of the Department of Corrections from the state prison in violation of subdivision (a), or who fails to provide the appropriate notice as required in subdivision (c), is subject to disciplinary action.

(c) (1) An employee who removes personal information shall, once the employee is aware that the information either is lost or stolen or cannot be accounted for, make a reasonable effort to immediately notify the warden, or his or her designee, of that fact.

(2) The warden, or his or her designee, shall attempt to notify the employee whose personal information either is lost or stolen or cannot be accounted for within 24 hours of receiving the notice under paragraph (1).

(d) For purposes of this section, “personal information” shall have the same meaning as set forth in Section 1798.3 of the Civil Code.

(e) It is not the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this section, to inhibit or prevent a person from making a disclosure of improper governmental activity that is protected by subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 6129, or by the California Whistleblower Protection Act, Article 3 (commencing with Section 8547) of Chapter 6.5 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code, or by the Whistleblower Protection Act, Article 10 (commencing with Section 9149.20) of Chapter 1.5 of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Government Code. Furthermore, nothing in this section shall be construed to interfere with the authority of the Office of the Inspector General pursuant to Section 6126.5 of this code, nor the authority of the State Auditor pursuant to Section 8545.2 of the Government Code.

(Added by Stats. 2002, Ch. 240, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2003.)