§463.61. Special prestige license plates; "Choose Life"; distribution of royalty fees

            A. The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall establish a special prestige license plate to be known as the "Choose Life" plate, provided there is a minimum of one hundred applicants for such plate. The license plate shall be restricted to passenger cars, pickup trucks, vans, motorcycles, and recreational vehicles. However, there must be a minimum of one thousand applicants for motorcycle license plates. The license plate shall be of a color and design selected by the Choose Life Advisory Council provided it is in compliance with R.S. 47:463(A)(3) and shall bear the legend "Choose Life".

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

            C. The annual fee for this special prestige license plate shall be a royalty fee of twenty-five dollars, in addition to the regular motor vehicle license fee provided in R.S. 47:463, to be distributed in the manner set forth in Paragraph (E)(1) of this Section and a three dollar and fifty cent handling fee to be retained by the department to offset a portion of administrative costs.

            D.(1) The department shall collect the royalty fee for the prestige license plate and each quarter shall disburse the royalty fee to the Louisiana Right to Life Education Committee.

            (2) In addition, the Choose Life Fund in the state treasury is hereby abolished as of July 1, 2009, and the state treasurer shall transfer any remaining money in the fund to the Escrow Fund and the money shall be appropriated or otherwise distributed to the Louisiana Right to Life Education Committee for use in accordance with this Section.

            E.(1) The Louisiana Right To Life Education Committee shall distribute the money to qualified organizations according to Paragraph (2) of this Subsection. The Louisiana Right To Life Education Committee may reserve or expend up to five percent of the money received pursuant to this Section for promotion and marketing of the plate and for administrative costs relative to distribution of the money.

            (2) An organization wishing to qualify for receipt of funds shall submit to the Louisiana Right To Life Education Committee an affidavit affirming its qualifications, which shall include a pledge to spend the money in accordance with the provisions of this Section, and shall qualify as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended. Furthermore, an organization wishing to qualify for receipt of funds shall demonstrate that it provides counseling and other services intended to meet the needs of expectant mothers considering adoption for their unborn child and expectant mothers considering parenting their children. No monies shall be distributed to any organization involved in, or associated with counseling for, or referrals to, abortion clinics, providing medical abortion-related procedures, or pro-abortion advertising.

            (3) Organizations receiving monies under this Section shall use at least fifty percent of such funds to provide for the material needs of expectant mothers considering adoption for their unborn child and for the material needs of expectant mothers considering parenting their children, including clothing, housing, medical care, food, utilities, and transportation. Such monies may also be used to meet the needs of infants awaiting placement with adoptive parents. The remaining funds may be used for counseling, training, and providing pregnancy testing but shall not be used for administrative, legal, or capital expenditures.

            F - H. Repealed by Acts 2009, No. 496, §2, effective July 1, 2009.

            Acts 1999, No. 729, §1; Acts 2003, No. 22, §1; Acts 2009, No. 496, §§1, 2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2010, No. 42, §1; Acts 2022, No. 84, §1.