1. This section shall be known and may be cited as “The Personal Privacy Protection Act”.

2. As used in this section, the following terms mean:

Attorney's Note

Under the Missouri Laws, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class B misdemeanorup to 6 monthsup to $1,000
For details, see Mo. Rev. Stat.§ 558.011

Terms Used In Missouri Laws 105.1500 v2

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
  • Donor: The person who makes a gift.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • following: when used by way of reference to any section of the statutes, mean the section next preceding or next following that in which the reference is made, unless some other section is expressly designated in the reference. See Missouri Laws 1.020
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Missouri Laws 1.020
  • State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.

(1) “Personal information”, any list, record, register, registry, roll, roster, or other compilation of data of any kind that directly or indirectly identifies a person as a member, supporter, or volunteer of, or donor of financial or nonfinancial support to, any entity exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;

(2) “Public agency”, the state and any political subdivision thereof including, but not limited to, any department, agency, office, commission, board, division, or other entity of state government; any county, city, township, village, school district, community college district; or any other local governmental unit, agency, authority, council, board, commission, state or local court, tribunal or other judicial or quasi-judicial body.

3. (1) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, but subject to the exceptions listed under subsection 4 of this section, a public agency shall not:

(a) Require any individual to provide the public agency with personal information or otherwise compel the release of personal information;

(b) Require any entity exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code to provide the public agency with personal information or otherwise compel the release of personal information;

(c) Release, publicize, or otherwise publicly disclose personal information in possession of a public agency; or

(d) Request or require a current or prospective contractor or grantee with the public agency to provide the public agency with a list of entities exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, to which it has provided financial or nonfinancial support.

(2) All personal information in the possession of a public agency shall be considered a closed record under chapter 610 and court operating rules.

4. The provisions of this section shall not preclude any individual or entity from being required to comply with any of the following:

(1) Submitting any report or disclosure required by this chapter or chapter 130;

(2) Responding to any lawful request or subpoena for personal information from the Missouri ethics commission as a part of an investigation, or publicly disclosing personal information as a result of an enforcement action from the Missouri ethics commission pursuant to its authority in sections 105.955 to 105.966;

(3) Responding to any lawful warrant for personal information issued by a court of competent jurisdiction;

(4) Responding to any lawful request for discovery of personal information in litigation if:

(a) The requestor demonstrates a compelling need for the personal information by clear and convincing evidence; and

(b) The requestor obtains a protective order barring disclosure of personal information to any person not named in the litigation;

(5) Applicable court rules or admitting any personal information as relevant evidence before a court of competent jurisdiction. However, a submission of personal information to a court shall be made in a manner that it is not publicly revealed and no court shall publicly reveal personal information absent a specific finding of good cause; or

(6) Any report or disclosure required by state law to be filed with the secretary of state, provided that personal information obtained by the secretary of state is otherwise subject to the requirements of paragraph (c) of subdivision (1) of subsection 3 of this section, unless expressly required to be made public by state law.

5. (1) A person or entity alleging a violation of this section may bring a civil action for appropriate injunctive relief, damages, or both. Damages awarded under this section may include one of the following, as appropriate:

(a) A sum of moneys not less than two thousand five hundred dollars to compensate for injury or loss caused by each violation of this section; or

(b) For an intentional violation of this section, a sum of moneys not to exceed three times the sum described in paragraph (a) of this subdivision.

(2) A court, in rendering a judgment in an action brought under this section, may award all or a portion of the costs of litigation, including reasonable attorney’s fees and witness fees, to the complainant in the action if the court determines that the award is appropriate.

(3) A person who knowingly violates this section is guilty of a class B misdemeanor.