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50-6a11. Disclosure of information between director, attorney general and other agencies or entities; providing certain information to tobacco product manufacturer, stamping agent; confidentiality of information unless disclosure is provided herein; master settlement agreement, confidentiality. (a) The director is authorized to disclose to the attorney general any information received under this act, as requested by the attorney general for purposes of determining compliance with or enforcing the provisions of this act. The director and attorney general shall share with each other information received under this act and the director and the attorney general may share such information with federal agencies, attorneys general of other states or directors of taxation or their equivalents of other states, for purposes of enforcement of this act, the corresponding federal laws or the corresponding laws of other states. The director and attorney general may share the information specified under this subsection with any of the following:

(1) Federal, state or local agencies for the purposes of enforcement of corresponding laws of other states.

(2) A court, arbitrator, data clearinghouse or similar entity for the purpose of assessing compliance with or making calculations required by the master settlement agreement or agreements regarding disputes under the master settlement agreement, and with counsel for the parties or expert witnesses in any such proceeding, if the information otherwise remains confidential.

(b) Except as otherwise provided, any information provided to the attorney general or director for purposes of enforcement of this act may be shared between the attorney general and the director and shall not be disclosed publicly by the attorney general or the director except when necessary to facilitate compliance with and enforcement of this act.

(c) On a quarterly basis, and upon request made in writing by a tobacco product manufacturer, the attorney general or the director may provide the name of any stamping agent who reports selling the tobacco product manufacturer's products.

(d) On a quarterly basis, and upon request made in writing by a tobacco product manufacturer, a stamping agent shall provide to the requesting tobacco product manufacturer the total number of cigarettes, by brand family, which the stamping agent reported to the attorney general or director pursuant to K.S.A. 50-6a10, and amendments thereto, provided that such information provided by the stamping agent to a tobacco product manufacturer shall be limited to the brand families of that manufacturer as listed in the directory established in K.S.A. 50-6a04(b), and amendments thereto.

(e) Unless disclosure is authorized under this section, all information obtained by the director and disclosed to the attorney general or shared with federal agencies, attorneys general of other states or directors of taxation or their equivalents of other states for purposes of enforcement of this act, the corresponding federal laws or the corresponding laws of other states, shall be confidential. The penalties provided under K.S.A. 75-5133, and amendments thereto, shall not apply when information is lawfully disclosed pursuant to this section.

(f) Any tobacco sales data provided to the director, attorney general or data clearinghouse for the purpose of assessing compliance with or making calculations required by the master settlement agreement or related agreements, shall be confidential.

History: L. 2009, ch. 110, § 4; L. 2015, ch. 79, § 6; L. 2020, ch. 12, § 5; July 1.