Section 35-3-35. Disclosure and dissemination of records to public agencies and political subdivisions; responsibility and liability of issuing center

   (a) The center shall be authorized to:

   (1) Make criminal history records maintained by the center available to public agencies, political subdivisions, authorities, and instrumentalities, including state or federal licensing and regulatory agencies or their designated representatives, under the following conditions:

      (A) Public agencies or political subdivisions shall, at the time of the request, provide the fingerprints of the person whose records are requested in such manner prescribed by the center, which may include the electronic imaging of a person's fingerprints, or provide a signed consent of the person whose records are requested on a form prescribed by the center which shall include such person's full name, address, social security number, and date of birth; provided, however, that the provisions of this paragraph shall supersede any other provision relating to the submission of fingerprints to the center;

      (B) The center may not provide records of arrests, charges, or sentences for crimes relating to first offenders pursuant to Article 3 of Chapter 8 of Title 42 in cases where offenders have been exonerated and discharged without court adjudications of guilt, except as specifically authorized by Code Section 35-3-34.1 or other law; and

      (C) When the identifying information provided is sufficient to identify persons whose records are requested electronically, the center may disseminate electronically criminal history records of in-state felony convictions, pleas, and sentences without:

         (i) Fingerprint comparison; or

         (ii) Consent of the person whose records are requested;

   (1.1) Make criminal history records maintained by the center available to any county board of registrars or county board of registration and election. The making of an application for voter registration shall be deemed to be consent of the person making the application to release such records to the county board of registrars or county board of registration and election. Such records shall be requested for the sole purpose of verification of information provided on voter registration cards by registration applicants;

   (1.2) Make criminal history records maintained by the center and national criminal history records maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, obtained by the center, available to the governing authority of any county or municipality, for any applicant or licensee in a specified occupation for which such local governing authority has adopted an ordinance or resolution requiring such applicants or licensees in a particular occupation or profession regulated by the governing authority to be fingerprinted as a condition of submitting an application or obtaining or renewing a license. The center shall establish a uniform method of obtaining criminal history records required under this paragraph. Such uniform method shall require the submission to the center of two complete sets of fingerprints and the records search fee. Upon receipt thereof, the center shall promptly transmit one set of fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a search of bureau records and an appropriate report and shall retain the other set and promptly conduct a search of its own records and records to which it has access. After receiving the fingerprints and fee, the center shall notify the requesting local government authority in writing of any derogatory finding, including, but not limited to, any criminal record data regarding the fingerprint records check or if there is no such finding. Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent the local governing authority from obtaining national criminal history records directly from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, if an ordinance or resolution requiring the fingerprints of an applicant or licensee of a particular occupation or profession regulated by the local governing authority has been adopted by such governing authority of the county or municipality; and

   (2) Charge fees for disseminating records pursuant to this Code section which will raise an amount of revenue which approximates, as nearly as practicable, the direct and indirect costs to the state for providing such disseminations.

(b) In the event an employment or licensing decision is made adverse to a person whose record was obtained pursuant to this Code section, the person will be informed by the public agency, political subdivision, authority or instrumentality, or licensing or regulatory agency making the adverse employment decision of all information pertinent to that decision. This disclosure shall include information that a record was obtained from the center, the specific contents of the record, and the effect the record had upon the decision. Failure to provide all such information to the person subject to the adverse decision shall be a misdemeanor.

(c) Neither the center, its employees, nor any agency or employee of the state shall be responsible for the accuracy of information disseminated nor have any liability for defamation, invasion of privacy, negligence, nor any other claim in connection with any dissemination pursuant to this Code section and shall be immune from suit based upon such claims.

(d) Local criminal justice agencies may disseminate criminal history records to public agencies, political subdivisions, authorities, and instrumentalities, including state or federal licensing and regulatory agencies under the same conditions as set forth in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this Code section and may charge fees as necessary to reimburse such agencies for their direct and indirect costs associated with providing such disseminations.

(d.1) When identifying information provided is sufficient to identify persons whose records are requested, local criminal justice agencies may disseminate criminal history records of in-state felony convictions, pleas, and sentences without:

   (1) Fingerprint comparison;

   (2) Prior contact with the center; or

   (3) Consent of the person whose records are requested.

Such information may be disseminated to entities to which such records may be made available under subsection (d) of this Code section under the conditions specified in subparagraph (a)(1)(B) of this Code section upon payment of the fee for the request and when the request is made upon a form prescribed by the center. Such agencies may charge and retain fees as needed to reimburse such agencies for the direct and indirect costs of providing such information and shall have the same immunity therefor as provided in subsection (c) of this Code section.

(d.2) No fee charged pursuant to this Code section may exceed $20.00 per person whose criminal history record is requested or be charged to any person or entity authorized prior to January 1, 1995, to obtain information pursuant to this Code section without payment of such fee.

(e) The council is empowered to adopt rules, regulations, and forms necessary to implement this Code section.

Ga. L. 1978, p. 1981, § 1; Ga. L. 1988, p. 203, § 2; Ga. L. 1990, p. 1831, § 1; Ga. L. 1992, p. 1009, § 1; Ga. L. 1995, p. 633, §§ 3, 4; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1206, § 2; Ga. L. 2003, p. 840, § 2; Ga. L. 2007, p. 43, §§ 2, 3/SB 62.