The House Courts and Criminal Code Committee heard SB 424 sponsored by Reps. Engleman, Bartlett, and Schaibley regarding the address confidentiality program. The bill allows a victim of harassment, human trafficking, intimidation, or invasion of privacy to participate in the address confidentiality program (program) of the Office of the Indiana Attorney General (Office). Currently the law allows only victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking to participate in the program. The bill removes the requirement that a victim must have obtained a protective order to participate in the program and provides, with certain exceptions, that if a program participant provides written notice to an individual, state or local government agency, business, or other legal entity: (1) the entity shall use the address designated by the Office;(2) the entity shall withhold any personal identifying information; and (3) if the entity is a landlord, the entity may not display the program participant’s name at the protected address. The bill permits the Office to revoke a person’s participation in the program if the program participant: (1) uses the program in furtherance of a crime; or (2) violates the statutory provisions governing the program or the terms of the program as established by the Office. The bill also establishes the circumstances under which a program participant’s address may be disclosed in a court proceeding and requires the court to issue an appropriate order to limit any further disclosure. Finally, the bill repeals a statute providing that a program participant who provides false information on a program application commits perjury.
The Indiana Attorney General’s Office testified in support of the bill. The bill passed 10-0. Read the bill at: http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2020/bills/senate/424.