§1526. Unified Carrier Registration Agreement; enforcement; disposition of money collected; Unified Carrier Registration Agreement Dedicated Fund Account

            A. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall be the state agency which shall administer and enforce the Unified Carrier Registration Agreement through its office of motor vehicles, office of state police, and such other offices, sections, or divisions as the secretary deems necessary, in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the board of directors of the Unified Carrier Registration Plan, all as provided for in the Unified Carrier Registration Act of 2005, 49 U.S.C. 14504a et seq. The department shall be identified to the secretary of the United States Department of Transportation as the state agency that has the legal authority, resources, and qualified personnel necessary to administer and enforce such act and such rules and regulations as provided for in 49 U.S.C. 14504a(e)(1)(A). The secretary, subject to the oversight of the House and Senate committees on transportation, highways and public works, shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act necessary to implement the provisions of this Section.

            B.(1) All revenue collected by or distributed to the department under the Unified Carrier Registration Agreement shall be deposited upon receipt into the state treasury. Out of the funds remaining in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund after a sufficient amount is allocated from that fund to pay all obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state that become due and payable during a fiscal year as provided for in Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana, the treasurer shall each fiscal year deposit into a special statutorily dedicated fund account hereby created in the state treasury, to be known as the Unified Carrier Registration Agreement Dedicated Fund Account, hereafter referred to in this Section as the "account", an amount equal to the total amount received by the treasurer pursuant to this Subsection. Monies deposited into the account shall be categorized as fees and self-generated revenue for the sole purpose of reporting related to the executive budget, supporting documents, and general appropriation bills and shall be available for annual appropriation by the legislature.

            (2) All unexpended and unencumbered money in the account at the end of a fiscal year shall remain in the account and shall be available for use in the next fiscal year as provided for in this Subsection. Money in the account shall be invested as provided by law, and any interest earned on such investments shall be credited to the account after compliance with the provisions of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana.

            (3) The money in the account shall be used each fiscal year solely and exclusively by the department, except as provided for in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, for motor carrier safety programs, enforcement, or the administration of the Unified Carrier Registration Plan and the Unified Carrier Registration Agreement as required by the Unified Carrier Registration Act of 2005.

            Acts 2008, No. 724, §1, eff. July 6, 2008; Acts 2021, No. 114, §7, eff. July 1, 2022.