(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the Department of Economic Opportunity shall contract with one or more consumer reporting agencies to provide users with secured electronic access to employer-provided information relating to the quarterly wages report submitted in accordance with the state’s reemployment assistance law. The access is limited to the wage reports for the appropriate amount of time for the purpose the information is requested.

(2) Users must obtain consent in writing or by electronic signature from an applicant for credit, employment, or other permitted purposes. Any written or electronic signature consent from an applicant must be signed and must include the following:

(a) Specific notice that information concerning the applicant’s wage and employment history will be released to a consumer reporting agency;

(b) Notice that the release is made for the sole purpose of reviewing the specific application for credit, employment, or other permitted purpose made by the applicant;

(c) Notice that the files of the Department of Economic Opportunity or its tax collection service provider containing information concerning wage and employment history which is submitted by the applicant or his or her employers may be accessed; and

(d) A listing of the parties authorized to receive the released information.

(3) Consumer reporting agencies and users accessing information under this section must safeguard the confidentiality of the information. A consumer reporting agency or user may use the information only to support a single transaction for the user to satisfy its standard underwriting or eligibility requirements or for those requirements imposed upon the user, and to satisfy the user’s obligations under applicable state or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

(4) If a consumer reporting agency or user violates this section, the Department of Economic Opportunity shall, upon 30 days’ written notice to the consumer reporting agency, terminate the contract established between the Department of Economic Opportunity and the consumer reporting agency or require the consumer reporting agency to terminate the contract established between the consumer reporting agency and the user under this section.

(5) The Department of Economic Opportunity shall establish minimum audit, security, net worth, and liability insurance standards, technical requirements, and any other terms and conditions considered necessary in the discretion of the state agency to safeguard the confidentiality of the information released under this section and to otherwise serve the public interest. The Department of Economic Opportunity shall also include, in coordination with any necessary state agencies, necessary audit procedures to ensure that these rules are followed.

(6) In contracting with one or more consumer reporting agencies under this section, any revenues generated by the contract must be used to pay the entire cost of providing access to the information. Further, in accordance with federal regulations, any additional revenues generated by the Department of Economic Opportunity or the state under this section must be paid into the Administrative Trust Fund of the Department of Economic Opportunity for the administration of the unemployment compensation system or be used as program income.

(7) The Department of Economic Opportunity may not provide wage and employment history information to any consumer reporting agency before the consumer reporting agency or agencies under contract with the Department of Economic Opportunity pay all development and other startup costs incurred by the state in connection with the design, installation, and administration of technological systems and procedures for the electronic access program.

(8) The release of any information under this section must be for a purpose authorized by and in the manner permitted by the United States Department of Labor and any subsequent rules or regulations adopted by that department.

(9) As used in this section, the term:

(a) “Consumer reporting agency” has the same meaning as that set forth in the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. s. 1681a.

(b) “Creditor” has the same meaning as that set forth in the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. ss. 1692 et seq.

(c) “User” means a creditor, employer, or other entity with a permissible purpose that is allowed under the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. ss. 1681 et seq. to access the data contained in the wage reports though a consumer reporting agency.

History.—s. 16, ch. 2011-235; s. 26, ch. 2012-30; s. 73, ch. 2012-96.