(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to protect individual rights of privacy, and to facilitate and enhance the effectiveness of the child abduction and recovery programs, by ensuring the confidentiality of child abduction records, and to thereby encourage the full and frank disclosure of information relevant to all of the following:

(1) The establishment or maintenance of parent and child relationships and support obligations.

(2) The enforcement of the child support liability of absent parents.

(3) The enforcement of spousal support liability of the spouse or former spouse to the extent required by the state plan under Section 17400, and Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 4800) of Part 5 of Division 9.

(4) The location of absent parents.

(5) The location of parents and children abducted, concealed, or detained by them.

(b) (1) Except as provided in this subdivision, all files, applications, papers, documents, and records, established or maintained by a public entity for the purpose of locating an abducted child, locating a person who has abducted a child, or prosecution of a person who has abducted a child shall be confidential, and shall not be open to examination or released for disclosure for any purpose not directly connected with locating or recovering the abducted child or abducting person or prosecution of the abducting person.

(2) Except as provided in subdivision (c), a public entity shall not disclose any file, application, paper, document, or record described in this section, or the information contained therein.

(c) (1) All files, applications, papers, documents, and records as described in subdivision (b) shall be available and may be used by a public entity for all administrative, civil, or criminal investigations, actions, proceedings, or prosecution conducted in connection with the child abduction or prosecution of the abducting person.

(2) A document requested by a person who wrote, prepared, or furnished the document may be examined by or disclosed to that person or a designee.

(3) Public records subject to disclosure under Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code may be released.

(4) After a noticed motion and a finding by the court, in a case in which child recovery or abduction prosecution actions are being taken, that release or disclosure is required by due process of law, the court may order a public entity that possesses an application, paper, document, or record described in this subdivision to make that item available to the defendant or other party for examination or copying, or to disclose to an appropriate person the contents of that item. Article 9 (commencing with Section 1040) of Chapter 4 of Division 8 of the Evidence Code shall not be applicable to proceedings under this part.

(5) To the extent not prohibited by federal law or regulation, information indicating the existence or imminent threat of a crime against a minor child, or location of a concealed or abducted child, or the location of the concealing or abducting person, may be disclosed to any appropriate law enforcement agency, or to any state or county child protective agency, or may be used in any judicial proceedings to prosecute that crime or to protect the child.

(6) Information may be released to any state or local agency for the purposes connected with establishing, modifying, and enforcing child support obligations, enforcing spousal support orders, and determining paternity as required by Part D (commencing with Section 651) of Subchapter IV of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code and this article.

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 615, Sec. 107. (AB 474) Effective January 1, 2022. Operative January 1, 2023, pursuant to Sec. 463 of Stats. 2021, Ch. 615.)