MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2000 Regular Session

To: Ways and Means

By: Representatives Moak, Rotenberry, Reynolds, Eads

AN ACT TO CREATE A NEW SECTION TO BE CODIFIED AS SECTION 27-19-56.15, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE THE ISSUANCE OF DISTINCTIVE LICENSE TAGS THAT DISPLAY THE EMBLEM OF PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES LOCATED IN OTHER STATES; TO IMPOSE AN ADDITIONAL FEE FOR SUCH TAGS; TO PROVIDE THAT A PORTION OF THE ADDITIONAL FEE SHALL BE FORWARDED TO SUCH OTHER STATES AND USED TO AWARD SCHOLARSHIPS TO MISSISSIPPI RESIDENTS WHO ATTEND PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN SUCH STATES; TO CREATE A SPECIAL FUND IN THE STATE TREASURY FOR THE DEPOSIT OF MONIES COLLECTED BY OTHER STATES FROM THE ISSUANCE OF DISTINCTIVE LICENSE TAGS IN SUCH STATES THAT DISPLAY EMBLEMS OF PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN THIS STATE; TO PROVIDE THAT MONIES IN THE SPECIAL FUND SHALL BE EXPENDED BY PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN THIS STATE TO AWARD SCHOLARSHIPS TO RESIDENTS OF OTHER STATES WHO ATTEND PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN THIS STATE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. The following shall be codified as Section 27-19-56.15, Mississippi Code of 1972:

27-19-56.15. (1) (a) Any owner of a motor vehicle who is a resident of this state, upon complying with the motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles, and upon payment of the road and bridge privilege taxes, ad valorem taxes and registration fees as prescribed by law for private carriers of passengers, pickup trucks and other noncommercial motor vehicles, and upon payment of an additional annual fee in the amount of Fifty Dollars ($50.00), shall be issued a distinctive license tag that displays the emblem of any public university of his choice located in another state if such other state has entered into a reciprocal agreement with the State Tax Commission to issue distinctive license tags in that state which display the emblems of public universities located in Mississippi.

(b) The design of the emblems for the distinctive license tags authorized under this subsection shall be determined by agreement between the State Tax Commission and the license tag issuing authorities and the governing authorities of public universities in the states where the universities are located. Such other design characteristics and information to be contained on such distinctive license tags shall be determined by the State Tax Commission.

(c) Application for the distinctive license tag authorized under this subsection shall be made to the county tax collector on forms prescribed by the State Tax Commission. The application and the additional fee, less five percent (5%) thereof to be retained by the tax collector, shall be remitted to the State Tax Commission within seven (7) days of the date that the application is made. The portion of the additional fee retained by the tax collector shall be deposited into the county general fund.

(d) The State Tax Commission shall deposit all fees that it receives under this subsection into the State Treasury on the day received. At the end of each month, the State Tax Commission shall certify to the State Treasurer the total fees remitted to it under this subsection and shall identify the states and the public universities in such other states for which the distinctive license tags have been issued. The State Treasurer shall distribute such collections as follows:

(i) Ten Dollars ($10.00) of the additional fees collected from each distinctive license tag issued under this subsection shall be deposited into the State General Fund;

(ii) The remainder of the additional fees shall be forwarded by the State Treasurer to the treasurer of each of those states for which distinctive license tags have been issued in this state under the provisions of this subsection and shall be held, invested and made available, in accordance with the terms of reciprocal agreements entered into between this state and such other states, for the award of scholarships to residents of this state who attend public universities in such other states.

(2) (a) There is created in the State Treasury a special fund to be designated as the "Team Tags Scholarship Fund". There shall be deposited in such fund all monies which the state receives from other states with which the State Tax Commission has entered into a reciprocal agreement for the issuance of distinctive public university license tags. On February 1 of each year, the State Treasurer shall notify each university in this state of the amount of money on deposit in the Team Tags Scholarship Fund to the credit of the university and shall advise each university of the number of scholarships that each university may award based upon increments of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00).

(b) On August 15 of each year, money to the credit of a university in the Team Tags Scholarship Fund may be expended by warrant drawn on the fund by the appropriate officer of the university. The warrants shall be made payable to those students attending the university who are residents of a state with which the State Tax Commission has entered into a reciprocal agreement for the issuance of distinctive public university license tags. The criteria for selection of those students who receive the scholarship awards shall be determined by the governing authorities of the university; however, money may be expended from the fund for the award of scholarships only to students who are residents of a state with which the State Tax Commission has entered into a reciprocal agreement for the issuance of distinctive public university license tags, and the total amount of scholarships awarded to all students from the same state shall not exceed the amount of monies on deposit in the Team Tags Scholarship Fund to the credit of that state.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2000.