§463.127.  Special prestige license plates; Southern University Black College National Champions

A.  The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall establish a special prestige license plate to be known as the Southern University Black College National Champions plate, provided there is a minimum of one thousand applicants for such plate.  The license plate shall be restricted to passenger cars, pickup trucks, vans, and recreational vehicles.  The license plate shall be of a color and design selected by Southern University.  The institution shall be prohibited from requesting any change to the design or color of the license plate within a five-year period after the date of acceptance of a specific color and design.

B.  The prestige license plate shall be issued, upon application, to any resident of Louisiana in the same manner as any other motor vehicle license plate.

C.  A one-time royalty fee of twenty-five dollars for use of Southern University Black College National Champions design shall be collected by the department and shall be forwarded to the institution for each license issued as provided for in this Section.  The department shall also collect the standard motor vehicle registration license fee provided in R.S. 47:463 and a handling fee of three dollars and fifty cents.  The handling fee shall be retained by the department to offset a portion of the administrative costs.

D.  The secretary shall establish rules and regulations as are necessary to implement the provisions of this Section, including but not limited to rules and regulations governing the collection and disbursement of royalty fees, the transfer and disposition of such license plates, the colors available, and the design criteria.

E.(1)  The monies received from the royalty fees by the institution shall be used solely for academic or financial need-based scholarships.  The management board of the institution shall be responsible for disbursing the funds and for establishing the scholarship program.

(2)  The chancellor of Southern University or his designee shall be responsible for establishing the procedures and criteria for awarding scholarships under this program.

F.  Upon the signing of a contract authorizing the use of the design for the Southern University Black College National Champions special prestige license plate, the secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall establish the prestige license plate in accordance with the provisions of this Section.  This contract shall include an agreement on the part of the university to use  the royalty fees as provided in Subsection E of this Section.

Acts 2004, No. 245, §1.