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Committee backs bill restoring limited identifying data to Commonwealth’s attorneys for aggregate analysis
Summary
HB567 would standardize requests for non‑confidential court records and give Commonwealth’s attorneys access to name, date of birth and last four SSN digits for cases in their jurisdictions for internal aggregate analysis; proponents said it restores useful data for local planning while opponents warned of privacy and security risks.
Delegate Carnegie told the committee HB567 standardizes how non‑confidential court records and aggregated case data are requested, clarifies whether requests go to local clerks or the Office of the Executive Secretary, and would allow Commonwealth’s attorneys limited access to identifying elements (name, DOB, last four of SSN) for cases arising in their jurisdiction so they can perform case‑level aggregation.
Colette Petkin, a Commonwealth's attorney, said prosecutors already have access to underlying records but that aggregate access would help produce useful jurisdictional statistics for city councils and law‑ enforcement planning. "This aggregation would help us provide data to our local jurisdiction," Petkin said.
Opponents raised concerns about data security and misuse; one law clerk pointed to risks of sharing identifying data broadly and mentioned potential linkage to third‑party analytics systems. Committee discussion highlighted statutory history: aggregated identifying data had been available previously and was removed by amendments effective in 2018; HB567 seeks to restore a limited carve‑out for prosecutors. After questions and public testimony, the committee voted to report the bill.
