Sec 28-2441. Hunger relief special plates; fund

A. If, by June 30, 2012, an entity pays thirty-two thousand dollars to the department for the implementation of this section, the department shall issue hunger relief special plates. The entity that provides the thirty-two thousand dollars shall design the hunger relief special plates. The design and color of the hunger relief special plates are subject to the approval of the department. The director may allow a request for hunger relief special plates to be combined with a request for personalized special plates. If the director allows such a combination, the request shall be in a form prescribed by the director and is subject to the fees for the personalized special plates in addition to the fees required for the hunger relief special plates.

B. Of the twenty-five dollar fee required by section 28-2402 for the original special plates and for renewal of special plates, eight dollars is a special plate administration fee and seventeen dollars is an annual donation.

C. The department shall deposit, pursuant to sections 35-146 and 35-147, all special plate administration fees in the state highway fund established by section 28-6991 and all donations collected pursuant to this section in the hunger relief special plate fund established by subsection D of this section.

D. The hunger relief special plate fund is established consisting of monies received pursuant to this section. The director shall administer the fund. The first thirty-two thousand dollars received shall be reimbursed to the entity that paid the implementation fee to the department pursuant to subsection A of this section. Monies in the fund are continuously appropriated. The director shall annually allocate all monies from the fund to an organization that operates statewide to coordinate food bank services and that is qualified under section 501(c)(3) of the United States internal revenue code for federal income tax purposes. The organization shall establish a process to distribute the monies annually to organizations that provide food distribution to hungry people in this state and that are qualified under section 501(c)(3) of the United States internal revenue code for federal income tax purposes. To the extent possible, the distributing organization shall distribute monies collected in a geographic region to organizations serving individuals in that region. The director shall forward all monies deposited in the hunger relief special plate fund to the organization on an annual basis. The organization may retain not more than ten per cent of the monies for documented expenses related to an application and award process.

E. On notice from the director, the state treasurer shall invest and divest monies in the fund as provided by section 35-313, and monies earned from investment shall be credited to the fund. Monies in the fund are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190 relating to lapsing of appropriations.