(a) In order to promote and financially benefit the Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, there shall be issued beginning January 1, 1997, special license plates promoting the Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program and its primary funding source, the Nongame Wildlife Conservation and Wildlife Habitat Acquisition Fund, referred to in this Code section as the wildlife conservation fund.

(b) The Department of Natural Resources shall design special distinctive license plates appropriate to promote conservation of native Georgia wildlife. The wildlife conservation fund plate must be of the same size and general design of general issue motor vehicle license plates; such plates shall include a unique identifying number, whereby the total characters do not exceed the sum of six, provided that no two recipients receive identical plates. Such design shall not provide space in which to indicate the name of the county of issuance.

(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions 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 licenses or other permissions as may be required to implement this Code section. The design of the initial edition of the wildlife conservation fund 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 in calendar year 1997, 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 wildlife conservation fund 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 wildlife conservation fund license plates in the same manner as provided for general issue license plates.

(e) The Nongame Wildlife Conservation and Wildlife Habitat Acquisition Fund shall bear the cost of the manufacture of each such license plate. The funds derived from the sale of wildlife conservation fund license plates, less a $1.00 processing fee which shall be granted to county tag offices per plate sold, shall be deposited in the Nongame Wildlife Conservation and Wildlife Habitat Acquisition Fund established by Code Section 12-3-602 and shall be expended only for the purposes enumerated in subsection (b) of Code Section 12-3-602. (f) An applicant may request a wildlife conservation fund license plate any time during the applicant's registration period. If a wildlife conservation fund license plate is to replace a current valid license plate, the department shall issue the wildlife conservation fund license plate with appropriate decals attached. When an applicant requests a wildlife conservation fund license plate at the beginning of the registration period, the applicant shall pay the tax together with all applicable fees.

(g) Wildlife conservation fund license plates shall be transferred from one vehicle to another vehicle in accordance with the provisions of Code Section 40-2-42.

(h) Wildlife conservation fund license plates shall be issued within 30 days of application.