§ 31-2-234 — Search and rescue license plates

(a) Any person required to register a vehicle in Wyoming
pursuant to this article may apply to the department or county
treasurer for a statement of eligibility for search and rescue
license plates for any motor vehicle that is not a commercial
vehicle owned or leased by that person upon registration of the
vehicle. The department or county treasurer may include as part
of the application the option for the applicant to donate an
additional amount in support of search and rescue activities.
Upon payment by the applicant of a fee of one hundred fifty
dollars ($150.00) to the department or county treasurer, plus
any additional voluntary amount, the department or county
treasurer shall issue a written statement of eligibility for
search and rescue license plates. The department or county
treasurer shall assess an annual fee of fifty dollars ($50.00)
for a person to retain eligibility for search and rescue license
plates, but this annual fee shall not be charged in the year the
person pays the one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) eligibility
fee. The person may submit an additional voluntary amount in
support of search and rescue activities when remitting the
annual fee.
(b) The fees collected under subsection (a) of this
section shall be payable to the department or county treasurer
and shall be accounted for separately. Except as otherwise
provided by law, the fees collected under subsection (a) of this
section shall be distributed to the search and rescue account
within the office of homeland security as created in W.S. 19-13-
301. Funds distributed to the search and rescue account under
this section shall be administered in accordance with the
following:
(i) The funds deposited in the search and rescue
account under this section are continuously appropriated to the
office of homeland security and shall only be used for the
purposes provided in W.S. 19-13-301(b) and 19-13-301(c);
(ii) The office of homeland security may establish
methods to accept voluntary contributions in support of search
and rescue activities for deposit into the search and rescue
account. The office of homeland security may suggest and solicit
specific contribution amounts;
(iii) The department, in consultation with the
Wyoming office of homeland security, is authorized to receive
and credit to the search and rescue account, any money or
property of any kind or character donated, granted or bequeathed
to Wyoming search and rescue activities. The office of homeland
security shall have the authority to carry out the terms, if
any, of the grant, donation or bequest, or in the absence of any
terms or limitations, to expend the money or the proceeds of the
property as it may deem advisable for search and rescue
activities under the provisions of this section and W.S. 19-13-
301.
(c) Applicants shall apply at least thirty (30) days
before registration is required for the vehicle for which the
plates are intended. Except as provided in this section,
application for, issuance and renewal of the search and rescue
license plates under this section shall be subject to the same
requirements and fees as provided in this article in addition to
the fee collected under subsection (a) of this section. The
license plate fees required under W.S. 31-3-102(a)(viii) shall
accompany each application. The license plates under this
section shall be issued by the county treasurer of each county
and shall be displayed only upon the vehicle for which they are
issued.
(d) The department shall prescribe the design of the
search and rescue license plates authorized by this section in
consultation with the public and other interested parties, which
shall include an image of the bucking horse and rider described
in W.S. 8-3-117. License plates authorized by this section need
not include Arabic numerals designating the county. The
department shall arrange for production of the license plates.
Following initial approval, search and rescue license plates
shall be subject to redesign on the same schedule as all license
plates beginning with the year 2033 reissuance.
(e) The department may prepare any special forms and
promulgate any rules necessary to carry out this section.
(f) Unless one thousand (1,000) sets of license plates are
issued under this section before December 31, 2032, the plates
authorized under this section shall be eliminated from
production and the department shall report the cessation of
production to the legislature not later than January 15, 2033.