39:3-33.11. Annual renewal fee; use

1. The annual renewal fee for the registration certificate of a motor vehicle for which a wildlife conservation license plate has been issued shall include, in each year subsequent to the year of issuance, a wildlife conservation license plate renewal fee in the amount of $10, which shall be in addition to the fee for the renewal of the registration certificate, and which shall be collected by the Division of Motor Vehicles.

For each $10 wildlife conservation license plate renewal fee collected, the Division of Motor Vehicles shall deposit:

a. $3 thereof into a non-lapsing, interest-bearing "Marine Mammal Stranding Center Fund" to be established in the Department of the Treasury. Interest or other income earned on monies deposited into the Marine Mammal Stranding Center Fund shall be credited to the fund for use as set forth in this subsection for other monies in that fund. Monies in the Marine Mammal Stranding Center Fund shall be withdrawn by the State Treasurer and disbursed to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, New Jersey, upon request of the center pursuant to a voucher system to be established by the State Treasurer. The center shall indicate on each voucher request the purpose to which the monies disbursed shall be applied. Monies disbursed from the fund to the center shall be utilized by the center in support of its work pertaining to the rescue, treatment, rehabilitation, and conservation of marine mammals and marine reptiles, and toward meeting the costs of related research and public education activities, and may be applied toward the costs of personnel and the purchase and maintenance of equipment and supplies for such purposes. The State Treasurer shall provide an annual report to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center on the status of the fund, and the center shall provide an annual report to the State Treasurer documenting expenditures by the center of monies from the fund; and

b. $7 thereof into the Wildlife Conservation Fund established pursuant to subsection b. of section 1 of P.L.1993, c.119 (C.39:3-33.10), of which:

(1) $5 shall be utilized by the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife for the purpose only of funding research, information and data collection and dissemination, population and habitat studies, environmental education, and conservation activities pertaining to endangered and non-game wildlife , and which may include the funding of full-time or part-time personnel and the purchase and maintenance of equipment and supplies dedicated to that purpose ; and

(2) $2 shall be made available to the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife for the purpose only of providing funding grants to endangered and non-game wildlife conservation projects proposed by nonprofit organizations.

The Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife shall adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations which set forth the criteria for awarding grants pursuant to paragraph (2) of this subsection.

c. Any person whose application for issuance of a wildlife conservation license plate has been received by the State prior to the effective date of P.L.1995, c.241, or is received within 30 days thereafter, shall be permanently exempt from payment of the $10 annual wildlife conservation license plate renewal fee required pursuant to this section for that wildlife conservation license plate unless the person waives the exemption on a form therefor to be provided by the Division of Motor Vehicles at the time of renewal of the registration certificate for the motor vehicle.

L.1995,c.241,s.1.