(a) An owner or lessee of a motor vehicle who is a resident of this state and who wishes to contribute to the welfare and well-being of Tennessee’s public schools, upon complying with state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles, and paying the regular fee applicable to the motor vehicle and the fee provided in § 55-4-204, shall be issued a “Helping Schools” specialty earmarked license plate for a motor vehicle authorized by § 55-4-210(c).
Owner: means a person who holds the legal title of a vehicle, or in the event a vehicle is the subject of an agreement for the conditional sale or lease thereof, with the right of purchase upon performance of the conditions stated in the agreement and with an immediate right of possession vested in the conditional vendee or lessee, or in the event a mortgagor of a vehicle is entitled to possession, then the conditional vendee or lessee or mortgagor shall be deemed the owner for the purpose of this chapter and chapter 10, parts 1-5 of this title. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
specialty earmarked license plate: means a motor vehicle registration plate authorized by statute prior to July 1, 1998, and enumerated in §. See Tennessee Code 55-4-201
State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
Vehicle: means every device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, excepting devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
(b) The specialty earmarked plates provided for in this section shall be designed in consultation with the department of education.(c)(1)(A) The proceeds from the fee paid pursuant to § 55-4-204 for the sale of “Helping Schools” specialty earmarked plates and the special decals authorized by this section, minus the expense the state has incurred in designing, marketing and manufacturing the plates or decals, shall be deposited in the general school fund. The owners or lessees of motor vehicles who obtain special plates pursuant to this section may designate that the proceeds from the fees shall be allocated to a particular named school. The county clerk shall remit the proceeds to the local education agency operating the named school, and the local school board shall allocate the proceeds for the benefit of the named school, and shall make the funds available to the school. Any undesignated proceeds from these fees shall be allocated as provided in this section. At the option of the local school board or boards, these funds may be provided to an educational foundation in each system or systems. The foundation shall be duly chartered under the statutes of Tennessee.(B) The foundation shall allocate the funds solely for supplies, equipment and training for students and certificated employees. Proceeds shall be distributed to the local education agency according to the average daily attendance of schools which serve the counties in which the proceeds were generated.(2) Notwithstanding this section or any other law to the contrary, in lieu of the specialty earmarked plates provided by this section, owners or lessees of authorized motor vehicles may be issued a special decal for the windshield of the motor vehicles, such decal containing the logo “Helping Schools.” All other provisions of this section concerning the issuance of specialty earmarked license plates, including the payment of the special fee as provided in § 55-4-204, shall apply to the special decal.
