Senate Bill sb0192

    Florida Senate - 2003                                   SB 192

    By Senator Lynn





    7-273-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to library records; amending s.

  3         257.261, F.S.; revising provisions relating to

  4         confidentiality of public library registration

  5         and circulation records to authorize disclosure

  6         of information to the parent or guardian of a

  7         library patron under age 16, for the purpose of

  8         collecting fines or recovering overdue books or

  9         other materials; providing an effective date.

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11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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13         Section 1.  Section 257.261, Florida Statutes, is

14  amended to read:

15         257.261  Library registration and circulation

16  records.--All registration and circulation records of every

17  public library, except statistical reports of registration and

18  circulation, are confidential and exempt from the provisions

19  of s. 119.07(1) and from s. 24(a) of Art. I of the State

20  Constitution. Except in accordance with proper judicial order,

21  a person may not make known in any manner any information

22  contained in such records, except as provided in this section.

23  As used in this section, the term "registration records"

24  includes any information that a library requires a patron to

25  provide in order to become eligible to borrow books and other

26  materials, and the term "circulation records" includes all

27  information that identifies the patrons who borrow particular

28  books and other materials. This section does not prohibit any

29  library, or any business operating jointly with the library,

30  from disclosing information to the parent or guardian of a

31  public library patron under the age of 16 municipal or county

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2003                                   SB 192
    7-273-03




 1  law enforcement officials, or to judicial officials, for the

 2  purpose of collecting fines or recovering overdue books,

 3  documents, films, or other items or materials owned or

 4  otherwise belonging to the library. This section does not

 5  prohibit any library, or any business operating jointly with

 6  the library, from disclosing information to municipal or

 7  county law enforcement officials or to judicial officials or

 8  to any business for the purpose of collecting fines or

 9  recovering overdue books, documents, films, or other items or

10  materials owned or otherwise belonging to the library. In the

11  case of a public library patron under the age of 16, however,

12  the a public library or business entity may only release

13  confidential information relating to the parent or guardian of

14  the person under 16. Any person who violates this section

15  commits is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree,

16  punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

17         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.

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20                          SENATE SUMMARY

21    Revises provisions relating to confidentiality of public
      library registration and circulation records to authorize
22    disclosure of information to the parent or guardian of a
      library patron under age 16, for the purpose of
23    collecting fines or recovering overdue books or other
      materials.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.