§463.60. Special prestige license plates; "Animal Friendly" prestige license plate; animal population control

            A. The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall establish a special prestige "Animal Friendly" license plate for motor vehicles. Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 47:463(A)(3), the department shall establish this prestige plate provided there is a minimum of one hundred applicants for such plate. The license plates shall be restricted to passenger cars, pickup trucks, vans, and recreational vehicles. This prestige plate shall be issued, upon application, to any citizen of Louisiana in the same manner as any other motor vehicle license plate.

            B. The annual fee for this prestige license plate shall be a royalty fee of thirty-five dollars to be distributed as provided in this Section and a handling fee of three dollars and fifty cents to be retained by the department to offset a portion of administrative costs. These charges shall be in addition to the standard motor vehicle license tax imposed by Article VII, Section 5 of the Constitution of Louisiana.

            C. The department shall collect the royalty fee for the prestige license plate and each quarter shall distribute the royalty fee to the Pet Overpopulation Advisory Council.

            D. A Pet Overpopulation Advisory Council is hereby established within the office of the governor to establish guidelines for the expenditure of funds and to review and make recommendations on grant applications submitted in compliance with Subsection F of this Section. Members of the council shall serve on a voluntary basis and shall not receive any compensation or reimbursement of expenses. The council shall meet at least twice annually, and it shall consist of the following members:

            (1) One representative of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, public safety services, appointed by the secretary of the department.

            (2) One representative of the Louisiana Department of Health appointed by the secretary of such department.

            (3) The state veterinarian or his designee.

            (4) One member of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker.

            (5) One member of the Senate appointed by the president.

            (6) One representative of the Humane Society of Louisiana appointed by the board of such organization.

            (7) One representative of the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association appointed by the board of such organization.

            (8) One representative of the Southern Animal Foundation appointed by the board of such organization.

            (9) One representative of a public animal sheltering agency appointed by the board of the Humane Society of Louisiana.

            (10) One representative of a private animal sheltering agency appointed by the board of the Humane Society of Louisiana.

            E.(1) The Pet Overpopulation Advisory Council shall distribute the monies to qualified entities as provided in this Section. The Pet Overpopulation Advisory Council may reserve or expend up to five percent of the money received pursuant to this Section for the promotion and marketing of the prestige license plate and for administrative costs relative to the distribution of the monies.

            (2) Any indigent pet owner on public assistance, including but not limited to the Food Stamp Program, the Supplemental Security Income Program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program, the Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program, or any other similar public assistance program named by the Pet Overpopulation Advisory Council, shall qualify for low-cost services.

            F. Any veterinarian licensed in this state, veterinary hospital, or organization qualified as a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, may apply for grants from the state general fund, on an application approved by the Pet Overpopulation Advisory Council. Grants shall be distributed solely for purposes of providing low-cost pet sterilizations by licensed veterinarians.

            G. The Pet Overpopulation Advisory Council shall establish policies and procedures, subject to oversight by the House and Senate Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committees, to implement the provisions of this Section, including but not limited to the collection of the monies received for the sale of these prestige license plates, the disbursement of grants, the transfer and disposition of such plates, the colors available for the plates, and the design criteria.

            Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 85, §1, eff. April 18, 2002; Acts 2014, No. 284, §§1, 2, eff. May 28, 2014; Acts 2017, No. 324, §1, eff. June 22, 2017; Acts 2018, No. 612, §15, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020.