(a) In order to promote and financially provide for the restoration and enhancement of the bobwhite quail population by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, there shall be issued beginning January 1, 2002, special license plates promoting such effort, which shall be known as the "Bobwhite Quail Restoration Initiative."

(b) The Department of Natural Resources shall design special distinctive license plates appropriate to promote conservation, restoration, and enhancement of the bobwhite quail population and the habitats upon which they depend. The bobwhite quail restoration initiative plate must be of the same size as general issue motor vehicle license plates and shall include a unique design and identifying number, whereby the total characters do not exceed the sum of six. No two recipients shall receive identically numbered plates. Such design shall not provide space in which to indicate the name of the county of issuance.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b) of this Code section, this Code section shall not be implemented until such time as the State of Georgia has, through a licensing agreement or otherwise, received such license or other permission as may be required to implement this Code section. The design of the initial edition of the bobwhite quail restoration initiative license plate, as well as the design of subsequent editions and excepting only any part or parts of the designs owned by others and licensed to the state, shall be owned solely by the State of Georgia for its exclusive use and control, except as authorized by the commissioner. The commissioner may take such steps as may be necessary to give notice of and protect such right, including the copyright or copyrights. However, such steps shall be cumulative of the ownership and exclusive use and control established by this subsection as a matter of law, and no person shall reproduce or otherwise use such design or designs, except as authorized by the commissioner.

(d) Beginning on January 1, 2002, any Georgia resident who is the owner of a motor vehicle, except a vehicle registered under the International Registration Plan, upon complying with the motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles and upon the payment of a fee of not more than $25.00 in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee, shall be issued a bobwhite quail restoration initiative license plate. Revalidation decals shall, upon payment of fees required by law and collected by the county tag agent and remitted to the state as provided in Code Section 40-2-34, be issued for bobwhite quail restoration initiative license plates in the same manner as provided for general issue license plates.

(e) The funds derived from the sale of bobwhite quail restoration initiative license plates, less a $1.00 processing fee, which shall be granted to county tag offices per plate sold, and less the actual manufacturing cost of the plates, shall be deposited in the general fund of the state treasury. As soon as practicable after December 31 of each year, the commissioner shall report the net amount derived from the sale of bobwhite quail restoration initiative license plates to the Office of Planning and Budget and the Department of Natural Resources. It is the intent of the General Assembly that the General Assembly appropriate an amount equal to the net proceeds from the sale of such license plates to the Department of Natural Resources. The Department of Natural Resources shall utilize the funds so appropriated to conduct programs designed to enhance the bobwhite quail population in this state. Such programs may include the creation of habitat demonstration areas on state managed wildlife lands, education programs, technical assistance to private landowners in the creation and maintenance of bobwhite quail habitats on their lands, and projects to encourage public support for the license plate and the activities it funds. The Department of Natural Resources may enter into such contractual agreements as may be appropriate to further the objectives of the bobwhite quail restoration initiative, including entering into contractual agreements whereby private landowners, public agencies, or corporate entities create, preserve, or enhance habitat for bobwhite quail in return for the payment of incentives. The Department of Natural Resources shall monitor the response of the bobwhite quail population to those habitat conservation activities to determine their effectiveness.

(f) An applicant may request a bobwhite quail restoration initiative license plate any time during the applicant's registration period. If a bobwhite quail restoration initiative license plate is to replace a current valid license plate, the department shall issue the bobwhite quail restoration initiative license plate with appropriate decals attached. When an applicant requests a bobwhite quail restoration initiative license plate at the beginning of the registration period, the applicant shall pay the tax together with all applicable fees.

(g) Bobwhite quail restoration initiative license plates shall be transferred from one vehicle to another vehicle in accordance with the provisions of Code Section 40-2-42.

(h) Bobwhite quail restoration initiative license plates shall be issued within 30 days of application.

(i) The Department of Natural Resources shall submit a report to the chairpersons of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and the House Committee on Game, Fish and Parks detailing the receipt and expenditure of all appropriated funds and all funds received from the sale of bobwhite quail restoration initiative license plates as provided by this Code section to promote quail restoration. Such report shall be made not later than the second Monday of January of each year.