§463.45. Special prestige license plates; Louisiana black bear

A. The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall establish prestige license plates for motor vehicles, restricted to passenger cars, pickup trucks, recreational vehicles, and vans, which plates shall bear a logo with a picture of a Louisiana black bear.

B. The charge for this special license plate shall be twenty-six dollars, which shall be assessed every two years in addition to the regular fee charged under the provisions of R.S. 47:463.

C.(1) Except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, the revenues realized from the additional twenty-six dollar fee imposed by Subsection B of this Section shall be remitted to the state as provided by law. The state treasurer shall place an amount equal to those revenues in the Conservation Fund, after complying with the requirements of R.S. 56:10(B), and shall credit that amount to the "black bear account" which is created within the Conservation Fund through the provisions of R.S. 56:10(B)(9). The funds raised from the license plate sales shall be used solely for nongame purposes.

(2) Five percent of the net proceeds from the twenty-six dollar fee imposed by Subsection B of this Section shall be used to promote the existence of the black bear prestige license plate and its availability for use on passenger vehicles. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, every hunting and fishing license issued by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries shall include a notice with a telephone number and mailing address for information on how to acquire a black bear prestige license plate for use on one's passenger car, pickup truck, or van.

D. The secretary shall adopt administrative rules to implement the provisions of this Section.

Acts 1995, No. 535, §1; Acts 1997, No. 70, §1; Acts 1997, No. 712, §1; Acts 1999, No. 735, §1.