NRS 612.265 - Disclosure of information by Employment Security Division and Administrator; duty of Division of Industrial Relations of Department of Business and Industry to provide certain information to Administrator; penalty for improper use or dissemination of certain information; privileged communications.

NV Rev Stat § 612.265 (2019) (N/A)
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1. Except as otherwise provided in this section and NRS 239.0115, 607.217 and 612.642, information obtained from any employing unit or person pursuant to the administration of this chapter and any determination as to the benefit rights of any person is confidential and may not be disclosed or be open to public inspection in any manner which would reveal the person’s or employing unit’s identity.

2. Any claimant or a legal representative of a claimant is entitled to information from the records of the Division, to the extent necessary for the proper presentation of the claimant’s claim in any proceeding pursuant to this chapter. A claimant or an employing unit is not entitled to information from the records of the Division for any other purpose.

3. The Administrator may, in accordance with a cooperative agreement among all participants in the statewide longitudinal data system developed pursuant to NRS 400.037 and administered pursuant to NRS 223.820, make the information obtained by the Division available to:

(a) The Board of Regents of the University of Nevada for the purpose of complying with the provisions of subsection 4 of NRS 396.531; and

(b) The Director of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation for the purpose of complying with the provisions of paragraph (d) of subsection 1 of NRS 232.920.

4. Subject to such restrictions as the Administrator may by regulation prescribe, the information obtained by the Division may be made available to:

(a) Any agency of this or any other state or any federal agency charged with the administration or enforcement of laws relating to unemployment compensation, public assistance, workers’ compensation or labor and industrial relations, or the maintenance of a system of public employment offices;

(b) Any state or local agency for the enforcement of child support;

(c) The Internal Revenue Service of the Department of the Treasury;

(d) The Department of Taxation;

(e) The State Contractors’ Board in the performance of its duties to enforce the provisions of chapter 624 of NRS; and

(f) The Secretary of State to operate the state business portal established pursuant to chapter 75A of NRS for the purposes of verifying that data submitted via the portal has satisfied the necessary requirements established by the Division, and as necessary to maintain the technical integrity and functionality of the state business portal established pursuant to chapter 75A of NRS.

Information obtained in connection with the administration of the Division may be made available to persons or agencies for purposes appropriate to the operation of a public employment service or a public assistance program.

5. Upon written request made by the State Controller or a public officer of a local government, the Administrator shall furnish from the records of the Division the name, address and place of employment of any person listed in the records of employment of the Division. The request may be made electronically and must set forth the social security number of the person about whom the request is made and contain a statement signed by the proper authority of the State Controller or local government certifying that the request is made to allow the proper authority to enforce a law to recover a debt or obligation assigned to the State Controller for collection or owed to the local government, as applicable. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 239.0115, the information obtained by the State Controller or local government is confidential and may not be used or disclosed for any purpose other than the collection of a debt or obligation assigned to the State Controller for collection or owed to that local government. The Administrator may charge a reasonable fee for the cost of providing the requested information.

6. The Administrator may publish or otherwise provide information on the names of employers, their addresses, their type or class of business or industry, and the approximate number of employees employed by each such employer, if the information released will assist unemployed persons to obtain employment or will be generally useful in developing and diversifying the economic interests of this State. Upon request by a state agency which is able to demonstrate that its intended use of the information will benefit the residents of this State, the Administrator may, in addition to the information listed in this subsection, disclose the number of employees employed by each employer and the total wages paid by each employer. The Administrator may charge a fee to cover the actual costs of any administrative expenses relating to the disclosure of this information to a state agency. The Administrator may require the state agency to certify in writing that the agency will take all actions necessary to maintain the confidentiality of the information and prevent its unauthorized disclosure.

7. Upon request therefor, the Administrator shall furnish to any agency of the United States charged with the administration of public works or assistance through public employment, and may furnish to any state agency similarly charged, the name, address, ordinary occupation and employment status of each recipient of benefits and the recipient’s rights to further benefits pursuant to this chapter.

8. To further a current criminal investigation, the chief executive officer of any law enforcement agency of this State may submit a written request to the Administrator that the Administrator furnish, from the records of the Division, the name, address and place of employment of any person listed in the records of employment of the Division. The request must set forth the social security number of the person about whom the request is made and contain a statement signed by the chief executive officer certifying that the request is made to further a criminal investigation currently being conducted by the agency. Upon receipt of such a request, the Administrator shall furnish the information requested. The Administrator may charge a fee to cover the actual costs of any related administrative expenses.

9. In addition to the provisions of subsection 6, the Administrator shall provide lists containing the names and addresses of employers, and information regarding the wages paid by each employer to the Department of Taxation, upon request, for use in verifying returns for the taxes imposed pursuant to chapters 363A, 363B and 363C of NRS. The Administrator may charge a fee to cover the actual costs of any related administrative expenses.

10. Upon the request of any district judge or jury commissioner of the judicial district in which the county is located, the Administrator shall, in accordance with other agreements entered into with other district courts and in compliance with 20 C.F.R. Part 603, and any other applicable federal laws and regulations governing the Division, furnish the name, address and date of birth of persons who receive benefits in any county, for use in the selection of trial jurors pursuant to NRS 6.045. The court or jury commissioner who requests the list of such persons shall reimburse the Division for the reasonable cost of providing the requested information.

11. The Division of Industrial Relations of the Department of Business and Industry shall periodically submit to the Administrator, from information in the index of claims established pursuant to NRS 616B.018, a list containing the name of each person who received benefits pursuant to chapters 616A to 616D, inclusive, or chapter 617 of NRS. Upon receipt of that information, the Administrator shall compare the information so provided with the records of the Employment Security Division regarding persons claiming benefits pursuant to this chapter for the same period. The information submitted by the Division of Industrial Relations must be in a form determined by the Administrator and must contain the social security number of each such person. If it appears from the information submitted that a person is simultaneously claiming benefits under this chapter and under chapters 616A to 616D, inclusive, or chapter 617 of NRS, the Administrator shall notify the Attorney General or any other appropriate law enforcement agency.

12. The Administrator may request the Comptroller of the Currency of the United States to cause an examination of the correctness of any return or report of any national banking association rendered pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, and may in connection with the request transmit any such report or return to the Comptroller of the Currency of the United States as provided in section 3305(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.

13. The Administrator, any employee or other person acting on behalf of the Administrator, or any employee or other person acting on behalf of an agency or entity allowed to access information obtained from any employing unit or person in the administration of this chapter, or any person who has obtained a list of applicants for work, or of claimants or recipients of benefits pursuant to this chapter, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor if he or she:

(a) Uses or permits the use of the list for any political purpose;

(b) Uses or permits the use of the list for any purpose other than one authorized by the Administrator or by law; or

(c) Fails to protect and prevent the unauthorized use or dissemination of information derived from the list.

14. All letters, reports or communications of any kind, oral or written, from the employer or employee to each other or to the Division or any of its agents, representatives or employees are privileged and must not be the subject matter or basis for any lawsuit if the letter, report or communication is written, sent, delivered or prepared pursuant to the requirements of this chapter.

[Part 4:59:1941; A 1945, 119; 1955, 518] — (NRS A 1965, 115; 1967, 627; 1971, 749; 1983, 409, 858; 1987, 1463; 1989, 1170; 1991, 351, 2464, 2466; 1993, 534, 624, 657, 803, 1811; 1995, 579, 1580, 1997; 1997, 579; 1999, 1756; 2003, 20th Special Session, 214; 2007, 2123; 2013, 96, 2210; 2015, 136, 2674, 2705, 2934, 3373; 2017, 3584, 3882, 4327; 2019, 3161)