(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue motor vehicle license plates to members of the American Legion for private motor vehicles and motorcycles registered in their names. The fee for this special license plate must be the regular motor vehicle license fee contained in Article 5, Chapter 3 of this title, the special fee required by Section 56-3-2020, and an additional special fee of forty dollars that must be distributed to the South Carolina American Legion. The forty-dollar special fee must be deposited in an account designated by the South Carolina American Legion, and must be used to off-set the expenses associated with the South Carolina Boys and Girls State Program. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, of the fees collected in accordance with Section 56-3-2020 for the special license plate, the Comptroller General shall place sufficient funds into a special restricted account to be used by the Department of Motor Vehicles to defray the expenses of the Department of Motor Vehicles in producing and administering the special plate. The license plates issued pursuant to this section must conform to a design agreed to by the department and the chief executive officer of the organization.
(B) Before the Department of Motor Vehicles produces and distributes a special license plate pursuant to this section, it must receive:
(1) four hundred prepaid applications for the special license plate or a deposit of four thousand dollars from the individual or organization seeking issuance of the license plate. If a deposit of four thousand dollars is made by an individual or organization pursuant to this section, the department must refund the four thousand dollars once an equivalent amount of license plate fees is collected for that organization's license plate. If the equivalent amount is not collected within four years of the first issuance of the license plate, then the department must retain the deposit; and
(2) a plan to market the sale of the special license plate which must be approved by the department.
(C) If the department receives less than three hundred biennial applications and renewals for a particular special license plate, it shall not produce additional special license plates in that series. The department shall continue to issue special license plates of that series until the existing inventory is exhausted.
HISTORY: 2002 Act No. 354, Section 8; 2008 Act No. 347, Section 2, eff June 16, 2008.