Any public officer not charged with the administration of Chapters 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 19, and 23 who attempts to influence a decision of the county department or state department respecting the application of any person for assistance or respecting the assistance to be paid or being paid shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars or imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both, in the discretion of the court. The giving of information within the personal knowledge of such officer, in writing, shall not constitute an offense under this section.