Safe at Home Act
Safe at Home Act would require all executive federal agencies and federal courts to accept and use an individual’s designated address from an approved state address confidentiality program (ACP) in place of their actual physical address for any purpose that requires an address. ACPs are state-run programs that provide a designated address and mail-forwarding, and can act as the legal agent to receive service of process for participants. The bill also shields participants from federal penalties for sharing a designated address, directs agencies to adjust regulations within a year to conform to the act, and imposes confidentiality protections for physical addresses obtained through ACPs (including a FOIA exemption). It preserves limited disclosures for law enforcement and administrative purposes under tightly defined conditions and requires prompt notice if a participant leaves an ACP. The Census Bureau is specifically excluded from the definition of an executive agency under the bill. In short, the bill aims to harmonize federal practice with state ACPs to better protect individuals who rely on these programs (often domestic violence or stalking survivors) by ensuring federal agencies and courts can consistently accept designated addresses and treat real addresses as confidential, with procedures and exemptions to balance privacy, legal processes, and federal obligations.
Key Points
- 1Acceptance of ACP-designated addresses: Executive agencies and federal courts must accept an ACP’s designated address for any purpose that requires an address, replacing the need for the participant’s physical address.
- 2Definitions and scope: Establishes what an ACP is (state program with a designated address, mail-forwarding, and service-of-process designation), defines a designated address, participant, and physical address, and notes that the Census Bureau is not an executive agency under this act.
- 3Privacy and liability protections: Participants are not subject to federal penalties for providing a designated address to an agency or court, and physical addresses obtained through an ACP are confidential and FOIA-exempt.
- 4Compliance timeline and procedures: Agencies must review and modify regulations within one year to align with the act; agencies must follow ACP procedures when acquiring a participant’s physical address and must respect the confidentiality and exemptions in doing so.
- 5Exceptions and disclosures:
- 6- Law enforcement exception: In federal criminal proceedings, courts may order disclosure of a participant’s physical address to specified parties (e.g., prosecutors, law enforcement) but with confidentiality duties and limits on use.
- 7- Administration exception: Agencies may obtain a participant’s physical address if necessary to carry out federal law, upon a written request specifying the record portion and purpose.
- 8- FOIA exemption: Once a physical address is obtained, it remains confidential and is exempt from disclosure under FOIA.
- 9- Rule of construction: The act does not require a state audit of an agency.