WV Senate Bill 477

Legislation

State: West Virginia
Signed: March 09, 2024

Effective: June 04, 2024
Chapter: 213

Summary

Senate Bill 477 provides a means for a health care worker to request in writing a nondisclosure of personal information on the Internet that must be notarized.

Affects

Adds Section 5A-8-25 to the West Virginia Code.

Changes

Provides that a health care worker's written request to a state or local government official to remove personal information from records made available on the Internet must include: (a) evidence that the person submitting the request is a health care worker, as defined, and (b) a statement, notarized by a Notary Public duly licensed under WVC 39-4-1 et seq, that the person submitting the request has reason to believe that the dissemination of the personal information contained in the records that the official makes available on the internet poses an imminent and serious threat to the person's safety or the safety of the person's immediate family.

Analysis

The protection of personal information appearing on the Internet is a major policy and societal issue today. Senate Bill 477 gives a health care worker the right to request, in writing, that his or her personal information be removed from the Internet if the worker believes that the dissemination of the personal information on the Internet poses an imminent threat the worker’s or the worker’s family’s safety. An important request such as this undoubtedly should be notarized, and Senate Bill 477 rightfully requires it.

Read Senate Bill 477.