2005 North Carolina Code - General Statutes Article 7 - The Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records.

Article 7.

The Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records.

§ 126‑22.  Personnel files not subject to inspection under § 132‑6.

Personnel files of State employees, former State employees, or applicants for State employment shall not be subject to inspection and examination as authorized by G.S. 132‑6. For purposes of this Article, a personnel file consists of any information gathered by the department, division, bureau, commission, council, or other agency subject to Article 7 of this Chapter which employs an individual, previously employed an individual, or considered an individual's application for employment, or by the office of State Personnel, and which information relates to the individual's application, selection or nonselection, promotions, demotions, transfers, leave, salary, suspension, performance evaluation forms, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment wherever located and in whatever form. Personnel files of former State employees who have been separated from State employment for 10 or more years may be open to inspection and examination except for papers and documents relating to demotions and to disciplinary actions resulting in the dismissal of the employee. (1975, c. 257, s. 1; 1977, c. 866, s. 9.)

 

§ 126‑23.  Certain records to be kept by State agencies open to inspection.

Each department, agency, institution, commission and bureau of the State shall maintain a record of each of its employees, showing the following information with respect to each such employee: name, age, date of original employment or appointment to the State service, current position, title, current salary, date and amount of most recent increase or decrease in salary, date of most recent promotion, demotion, transfer, suspension, separation, or other change in position classification, and the office or station to which the employee is currently assigned. Subject only to rules and regulations for the safekeeping of the records, adopted by the State Personnel Commission, every person having custody of such records shall permit them to be inspected and examined and copies thereof made by any person during regular business hours. Any person who is denied access to any such record for the purpose of inspecting, examining or copying the same shall have a right to compel compliance with the provisions of this section by application to a court of competent jurisdiction for a writ of mandamus or other appropriate relief. (1975, c. 257, s.  1; c. 667, s. 2.)

 

§ 126‑24.  Confidential information in personnel files; access to such information.

All other information contained in a personnel file is confidential and shall not be open for inspection and examination except to the following persons:

(1)       The employee, applicant for employment, former employee, or his properly authorized agent, who may examine his own personnel file in its entirety except for (i) letters of reference solicited prior to employment, or (ii) information concerning a medical disability, mental or physical, that a prudent physician would not divulge to a patient. An employee's medical record may be disclosed to a licensed physician designated in writing by the employee;

(2)       The supervisor of the employee;

(3)       Members of the General Assembly who may inspect and examine personnel records under the authority of G.S. 120‑19;

(4)       A party by authority of a proper court order may inspect and  examine a particular confidential portion of a State employee's personnel file; and

(5)       An official of an agency of the federal government, State government or any political subdivision thereof. Such an official may inspect any personnel records when such inspection is deemed by the department head of the employee whose record is to be inspected or, in the case of an applicant for employment or a former employee, by the department head of the agency in which the record is maintained as necessary and essential to the pursuance of a proper function of said agency; provided, however, that such information shall not be divulged for purposes of assisting in a criminal prosecution, nor for purposes of assisting in a tax investigation.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter, any department head may, in his discretion, inform any person or corporation of any promotion, demotion, suspension, reinstatement, transfer, separation, dismissal, employment or nonemployment of any applicant, employee or former employee employed by or assigned to his department or whose personnel file is maintained in his department and the reasons therefor and may allow the personnel file of such person or any portion thereof to be inspected and examined by any person or corporation when such department head shall determine that the release of such information or the inspection and examination of such file or portion thereof is essential to maintaining the integrity of such department or to maintaining the level or quality of services provided by such department; provided that prior to releasing such information or making such file or portion thereof available as provided herein, such department head shall prepare a memorandum setting forth the circumstances which the department head deems to require such disclosure and the information to be disclosed. The memorandum shall be retained in the files of said department head and shall be a public record. (1975, c. 257, s. 1; 1977, c. 866, s. 10; 1977, 2nd Sess., c. 1207.)

 

§ 126‑25.  Remedies of employee objecting to material in file.

An employee, former employee or applicant for employment who objects to material in his file may place in his file a statement relating to the material he considers to be inaccurate or misleading. An employee, former employee or applicant for employment who objects to material in his file because he considers it inaccurate or misleading may seek the removal of such material from his file in accordance with the grievance procedure of that department, including appeal to the State Personnel Commission. When a department, division, bureau, commission, or other agency agrees or is ordered by the State Personnel Commission or by the General Court of Justice of this State to remove inaccurate or misleading material from an employee's file, which information was placed in the file by the supervisor or other agent of management, it shall destroy the original and all copies of the material removed and may not retain any inaccurate or misleading information derived from the material removed. (1975, c. 257, s. 1; c. 667, s. 2; 1977, c. 866, s. 11; 1985, c. 638.)

 

§ 126‑26.  Rules and regulations.

The State Personnel Commission shall prescribe such rules and regulations as it deems necessary to implement the provisions of this Article. (1975, c. 257, s. 1; c. 667, s. 2.)

 

§ 126‑27.  Penalty for permitting access to confidential file by unauthorized person.

Any public official or employee who shall knowingly and willfully permit any person to have access to or custody or possession of any portion of a personnel file designated as confidential by this Article, unless such person is one specifically authorized by G.S. 126‑24 to have access thereto for inspection and examination, shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor and upon conviction shall only be fined in the discretion of the court but not in excess of five hundred dollars ($500.00). (1975, c. 257, s. 1; 1993, c. 539, s. 934; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)

 

§ 126‑28.  Penalty for examining, copying, etc., confidential file without authority.

Any person, not specifically authorized by G.S. 126‑24 to have access to a personnel file designated as confidential by this Article, who shall knowingly and willfully examine in its official filing place, remove or copy any portion of a confidential personnel file shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor and upon conviction shall only be fined in the discretion of the court but not in excess of five hundred dollars ($500.00). (1975, c. 257, s. 1; 1993, c. 539, s. 935; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)

 

§ 126‑29.  Access to material in file for agency hearing.

A party to a quasi‑judicial hearing of a State agency subject to Article 7 of this Chapter, or a State agency subject to Article 7 of this Chapter which is conducting a quasi‑judicial hearing, may have access to relevant material in personnel files and may introduce copies of such material or information based on such material as evidence in the hearing either upon consent of the employee, former employee, or applicant for employment or upon subpoena properly issued by the agency either upon request of a party or on its own motion.  Nothing in this Article shall impose liability on any agent or officer of the State for compliance with this provision, notwithstanding any other provision of this Article. (1977, c. 866, s. 12; 1987, c. 320, s. 5.)

 

§ 126‑30.  Fraudulent disclosure and willful nondisclosure on application for State employment; penalties.

(a)       Any employee who knowingly and willfully discloses false or misleading information, or conceals dishonorable military service; or conceals prior employment history or other requested information, either of which are significantly related to job responsibilities on an application for State employment may be subjected to disciplinary action up to and including immediate dismissal from employment.  Dismissal shall be mandatory where the applicant discloses false or misleading information in order to meet position qualifications.  Application forms for State employment shall include a statement informing applicants of the consequences of such fraudulent disclosure or lack of disclosure.

(b)       The employing authority within each department, university, board, or commission, shall verify the status of credentials and the accuracy of statements contained in the application of each new employee within 90 days from the date of the employees employment.  Failure to verify the application shall not bar action under subsection (a) above.

(c)       The State Personnel Commission shall issue rules and procedures to implement this section for all departments, agencies and institutions which are not exempted from the State Personnel Act under G.S. 126‑5(c1).  Each agency, department and institution which is exempted under G.S. 126‑5(c1) shall issue regulations to implement this section pursuant to the rulemaking procedures applicable to it. (1987, c. 666, s. 1.)

 

§ 126‑31.  Reserved for future codification purposes.

 

§ 126‑32.  Reserved for future codification purposes.

 

§ 126‑33.  Reserved for future codification purposes.