HF 515

as introduced - 83rd Legislature (2003 - 2004) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to motor vehicles; authorizing issuance of 
  1.3             "choose life" license plates; establishing an adoption 
  1.4             support account and appropriating money in the account 
  1.5             to the registrar of motor vehicles for grants to 
  1.6             counties to support adoption; proposing coding for new 
  1.7             law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 168. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  [168.1299] [SPECIAL "CHOOSE LIFE" PLATES; 
  1.10  ACCOUNT.] 
  1.11     Subdivision 1.  [GENERAL REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES.] (a) 
  1.12  The registrar shall issue special "Choose Life" license plates 
  1.13  to an applicant who: 
  1.14     (1) is an owner or joint owner of a passenger automobile, 
  1.15  pickup truck, or van; 
  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) pays a minimum contribution of $25 annually to the 
  1.22  special account created in subdivision 6; and 
  1.23     (6) complies with laws and rules governing registration and 
  1.24  licensing of vehicles and drivers. 
  1.25     (b) The "Choose Life" license plate application form must 
  1.26  clearly indicate that the contribution specified under paragraph 
  2.1   (a), clause (5), is a minimum annual contribution to receive the 
  2.2   license plates and that the applicant may make an additional 
  2.3   contribution to the account. 
  2.4      Subd. 2.  [DESIGN.] The registrar shall approve the design 
  2.5   of the special plates featuring a brightly colored, crayon-like 
  2.6   drawing image of two children and the words "Choose Life." 
  2.7      Subd. 3.  [NO REFUND.] Contributions under this section are 
  2.8   not refundable. 
  2.9      Subd. 4.  [PLATE TRANSFERS.] Notwithstanding section 
  2.10  168.12, subdivision 1, on payment of a transfer fee of $5, 
  2.11  plates issued under this section may be transferred to another 
  2.12  passenger automobile, pickup truck, or van owned or jointly 
  2.13  owned by the person to whom the special plates were issued. 
  2.14     Subd. 5.  [FEES CREDITED.] The fees collected under this 
  2.15  section, not including the contributions collected under 
  2.16  subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clause (5), must be deposited in 
  2.17  the state treasury and credited to the highway user tax 
  2.18  distribution fund. 
  2.19     Subd. 6.  [ADOPTION SUPPORT ACCOUNT.] (a) Contributions 
  2.20  under subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clause (5), must be paid to 
  2.21  the registrar of motor vehicles and credited to a special 
  2.22  account known as the adoption support account, which is 
  2.23  established in the general fund.  Money in the account is 
  2.24  annually appropriated to the registrar for distribution to the 
  2.25  counties as provided in paragraph (b). 
  2.26     (b) The registrar shall distribute money in the account 
  2.27  annually to each county in proportion to the contributions 
  2.28  received from residents of each county into the account under 
  2.29  subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clause (5).  Each county receiving 
  2.30  funds under this subdivision shall distribute the funds to 
  2.31  nongovernmental, nonprofit agencies whose services are limited 
  2.32  to counseling and meeting the physical needs of pregnant women 
  2.33  who are committed to placing their children for adoption.  Funds 
  2.34  may not be distributed to any agency that is directly or 
  2.35  indirectly involved in or associated with abortion activities, 
  2.36  including (1) counseling for or referrals to abortion clinics, 
  3.1   (2) providing medical abortion-related procedures, or (3) 
  3.2   pro-abortion advertising.  Funds may not be distributed to any 
  3.3   agency that charges women for services received. 
  3.4      (c) An agency that receives funds under this subdivision 
  3.5   must use at least 70 percent of those funds to (1) provide for 
  3.6   the material needs of pregnant women who are committed to 
  3.7   placing their children for adoption, including clothing, 
  3.8   housing, medical care, food, utilities, and transportation, or 
  3.9   (2) provide for the needs of infants awaiting placement with 
  3.10  adoptive parents. 
  3.11     (d) An agency that receives funds under this subdivision 
  3.12  shall spend any funds remaining after expenditures for the 
  3.13  purposes of paragraph (c) for adoption counseling, training, or 
  3.14  advertising, but not for administrative expenses, legal 
  3.15  expenses, or capital expenditures. 
  3.16     (e) An agency that receives funds under this subdivision 
  3.17  shall submit an annual audit, prepared by a certified public 
  3.18  accountant, to the county.  The county may conduct a 
  3.19  consolidated audit in lieu of the annual audit.  Unused funds 
  3.20  that exceed ten percent of the funds received by an agency in a 
  3.21  fiscal year must be returned to the county, and the county shall 
  3.22  distribute these funds to other qualified agencies. 
  3.23     Subd. 7.  [RECORD.] The registrar of motor vehicles shall 
  3.24  maintain a record of the number of license plates issued in each 
  3.25  county. 
  3.26     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.27     Section 1 is effective July 1, 2003.