(a) An owner or lessee of a motor vehicle who is a resident of this state and who is certified as a member or alumni member of the following fraternities or sororities: Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Zeta Phi Beta, Omega Psi Phi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Phi Beta Sigma, or Kappa Alpha Psi, 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 for in § 55-4-204, shall be issued an appropriate African-American fraternity or sorority specialty earmarked license plate for a motor vehicle authorized by § 55-4-210(c).
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 55-4-294
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 application for these license plates shall be accompanied by proof satisfactory to the commissioner, certifying the applicant to be a member or alumni member of the appropriate fraternity or sorority pursuant to subsection (a).(c)(1) The specialty earmarked plates provided for in this section shall be of the colors and contain the logo of the appropriate fraternity or sorority pursuant to subsection (a) and shall be designed in consultation with the executive director of the appropriate fraternity or sorority.(2) Notwithstanding subdivision (c)(1), the Alpha Phi Alpha specialty earmarked plate must be designed in consultation with the executive director of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and must contain the colors, logo, or other emblem or design distinctive to Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. No later than January 1, 2023, the commissioner shall cause to be reissued a new Alpha Phi Alpha specialty earmarked plate of a design created pursuant to this subdivision (c)(2).(d) The proceeds from the fees paid pursuant to § 55-4-204 for the sale of the African-American fraternity and sorority specialty earmarked plates authorized by this section, minus the expense the state has incurred in designing and manufacturing these plates, shall be deposited in a fund to benefit Tennessee historically black colleges (Fisk University, Knoxville College, Lane College, American Baptist College, and LeMoyne-Owen College).
