Not Available. All specialty license plate sales in Louisiana halted in July 2003

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HOW YOU CAN HELP

Fee: $25 plus handing fee, $3.50, plus standard motor vehicle tax

Amount to Spay-Neuter:

Balance:
Fund: Pet Overpopulation Fund

Fund Administrator: Department of Public Safety and Corrections

Fund Disbursement Advisors: The Louisiana Animal Friendly license plate program is administered by the Louisiana Governor's Pet Overpopulation Advisory Council

The Board consist of members who: represents DPS appointed by Sec DPS; represents DHH appointed by Sec DHH; state veterinarian or designee; LA Rep appointed by House Speaker; Senator appointed by Senate President; representative of Humane Society of LA appointed by bd; representative/appointed by LA Medical Association; represents/appointed by Southern Animal Foundation; represents/appointed by public animal sheltering agency by board of Humane Society of LA; represents private animal sheltering agency by board of Humane Society of LA; An indigent pet owner on public assistance named by the Pet Overpopulation Advisory Council.

Thecouncil was created in 2002, by House Bill 68 - 2002 1st Extraordinary Session, Act 85, introduced by former District 98 representative Melinda Schwegmann.

Fund Disbursement: Part of the proceeds from these plates will go into a Pet Overpopulation Fund to help indigent pet owners sterilize their pets. Veterinarians and Non-Profit Organizations may also apply for grants.

BILL TEXT

La. R.S. 47:463.60 (2000)
Special prestige license plates; Animal Friendly; Pet Overpopulation Fund; Advisory Council A. The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall establish a special prestige "Animal Friendly" license plate for motor vehicles. 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 charge for this prestige license plate shall be twenty-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 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 monies received from the sale of this prestige license plate and shall forward twenty-five dollars immediately upon receipt to the state treasury. After compliance with the requirements of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana relative to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, the monies shall be deposited in the Pet Overpopulation Fund which is hereby created within the state treasury and shall be used solely to provide reduced-cost sterilizations of adult animals as defined in R.S. 3:2471(2) to indigent pet owners. All unexpended and unencumbered monies remaining in the fund at the close of each fiscal year shall remain in the fund. Monies in the fund shall be invested by the state treasurer in the same manner as monies in the state general fund. All interest earned from the investment of monies in the fund shall be credited to this fund after compliance with Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana.

D. A Pet Overpopulation Advisory Council shall be established within the Department of Public Safety and Corrections to assist the secretary in establishing guidelines for the expenditure of funds credited to the Pet Overpopulation Fund and to review and make recommendations to the secretary on grant applications submitted to the department 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 shall consist of the following members: (1) One representative of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Public Safety Services. (2) One representative of the Department of Health and Hospitals. (3) The state veterinarian or his designee. (4) One member of the House of Representatives. (5) One member of the Senate. (6) One representative of the League in Support of Animals. (7) One representative of the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association. (8) One representative of the Southern Animal Foundation. (9) One representative of a public animal sheltering agency. (10) One representative of a private animal sheltering agency.

E. 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 secretary, with the assistance of 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 fund, on an application approved by the secretary with recommendations from the Pet Overpopulation Advisory Council. Grants shall be distributed solely for purposes of providing low-cost pet sterilizations by licensed veterinarians.

G. The secretary with the assistance of the Pet Overpopulation Advisory Council shall promulgate rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act [FN1] to implement the provisions of this Section, including but not limited to the collection of the monies received from 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. H. The state treasurer shall credit to the Pet Overpopulation Fund any additional funds received from private contributions, grants, and donations made to the Pet Overpopulation Fund.




LEGISLATIVE HISTORY