1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to agriculture; authorizing "support family 
  1.3             farms" license plates and requiring holders of such 
  1.4             plates to contribute to the attorney general's 
  1.5             agri-business investigation fund; appropriating money; 
  1.6             proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
  1.7             chapter 168. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  [168.1293] [SUPPORT FAMILY FARMS LICENSE 
  1.10  PLATES.] 
  1.11     Subdivision 1.  [PLATES AUTHORIZED.] (a) The registrar 
  1.12  shall issue a special "support family farms" license plate to an 
  1.13  applicant who: 
  1.14     (1) is an owner or joint owner of a passenger automobile, 
  1.15  pickup truck, van, or farm truck; 
  1.16     (2) pays a fee of $10 to cover the costs of handling and 
  1.17  manufacturing the plates; 
  1.18     (3) pays the registration tax required under section 
  1.19  168.013; 
  1.20     (4) pays the fees required under this chapter; 
  1.21     (5) contributes a minimum of $30 annually to the attorney 
  1.22  general's agri-business investigative fund established in 
  1.23  section 8.37; and 
  1.24     (6) complies with laws and rules governing registration and 
  1.25  licensing of vehicles and drivers. 
  1.26     (b) The application form for a "support family farms" 
  2.1   license plate must clearly indicate that the annual contribution 
  2.2   specified under paragraph (a), clause (5), is a minimum 
  2.3   contribution to receive the license plate and that the applicant 
  2.4   may make an additional contribution to the account. 
  2.5      Subd. 2.  [DESIGN.] After consultation with interested 
  2.6   groups, the commissioner of agriculture and the registrar shall 
  2.7   jointly select a suitable symbol for use by the registrar to 
  2.8   designate the special plates.  The design must include the words 
  2.9   "support family farms." 
  2.10     Subd. 3.  [NO REFUND.] Contributions under subdivision 1, 
  2.11  clause (5), are nonrefundable. 
  2.12     Subd. 4.  [PLATE TRANSFERS.] Notwithstanding section 
  2.13  168.12, subdivision 1, on payment of a transfer fee of $5, 
  2.14  plates issued under this section may be transferred to another 
  2.15  passenger automobile, pickup truck, van, or farm truck owned or 
  2.16  jointly owned by the person to whom the special plates were 
  2.17  issued. 
  2.18     Subd. 5.  [CONTRIBUTION AND FEES CREDITED.] Contributions 
  2.19  under subdivision 1, clause (5), must be credited to a special 
  2.20  account in the general fund.  The fees collected under this 
  2.21  section must be deposited in the highway user tax distribution 
  2.22  fund. 
  2.23     Subd. 6.  [RECORD.] The registrar shall maintain a record 
  2.24  of the number of special plates issued under this section. 
  2.25     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.26     The amount credited to the special account under section 1, 
  2.27  subdivision 5, is annually appropriated to the commissioner of 
  2.28  agriculture for purposes of the farm advocates program.