(a) Any member of the commission, commission staff member, member or staff member of the Committee of Credentials, State Department of Education employee who releases or gives out information received at a commission or committee meeting or hearing or through the investigation of a certified employee without authorization of the commission or committee, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
(b) Any material witness or his or her representative who releases or gives out information received at a commission or committee meeting or hearing, or who releases or gives out information obtained as a result of direct involvement in the investigation of a certified employee, without authorization of the commission or committee, is guilty of a misdemeanor unless this information was known to the material witness or his or her representative prior to that meeting, hearing, or investigation.