(a) In order to honor Georgia educators and financially benefit the Georgia Public School Personnel Indemnification Fund, there shall be issued beginning July 1, 2001, special license plates under this Code section.

(b) License plates issued under this Code section must be of the same size as general issue motor vehicle license plates. Such plates shall include a unique identifying number, whereby the total number of characters does not exceed six, provided that no two recipients receive identical plates. The license plates shall display the phrase "Georgia Educators Make A Difference" and a ripe Red Delicious apple shall be depicted to the left of the identifying number of each plate. 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 license plate provided under this Code section, excepting only any part or parts of the design 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 July 1, 2001, any Georgia resident who is the owner of a motor vehicle, except a vehicle registered under the International Registration Plan, upon application and compliance 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 motor vehicle license plate under this Code section. 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 such license plates in the same manner as provided for general issue license plates.

(e) The funds derived from the sale of license plates issued under this Code section, less the actual cost of manufacturing and less a $1.00 processing fee which shall be granted to county tag offices per plate sold, shall be deposited in the Georgia Public School Personnel Indemnification Fund established by Article 5A of Chapter 9 of Title 45 and shall be expended only for the purposes specified in said article.

(f) An applicant may request a license plate issued under this Code section any time during the applicant's registration period. If such a license plate is to replace a current valid license plate, the department shall issue the license plate under this Code section with appropriate decals attached.

(g) License plates issued under this Code section shall be transferred from one vehicle to another vehicle in accordance with the provisions of Code Section 40-2-80.

(h) License plates issued under this Code section shall be issued within 30 days of application.