Opinion Number

Dear Mr. Woolridge:

This office is in receipt of your opinion request in which you asked whether the Patient's Compensation Fund, La.R.S. 40:1299.44, is required to follow the federal guidelines set out in the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act,15 U.S.C.A 6801, et seq.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act was passed by Congress in November 1999. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act prohibits a "financial institution" from distributing nonpublic information about their customers to third parties unless adequate notice has been given. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act provides as follows:

It is the policy of the Congress that each…