(a) Any person required to register a vehicle in Wyoming pursuant to this article may apply to the department or county treasurer for a statement of eligibility for search and rescue license plates for any motor vehicle that is not a commercial vehicle owned or leased by that person upon registration of the vehicle. The department or county treasurer may include as part of the application the option for the applicant to donate an additional amount in support of search and rescue activities. Upon payment by the applicant of a fee of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) to the department or county treasurer, plus any additional voluntary amount, the department or county treasurer shall issue a written statement of eligibility for search and rescue license plates. The department or county treasurer shall assess an annual fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) for a person to retain eligibility for search and rescue license plates, but this annual fee shall not be charged in the year the person pays the one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) eligibility fee. The person may submit an additional voluntary amount in support of search and rescue activities when remitting the annual fee.

(b) The fees collected under subsection (a) of this section shall be payable to the department or county treasurer and shall be accounted for separately. Except as otherwise provided by law, the fees collected under subsection (a) of this section shall be distributed to the search and rescue account within the department of homeland security as created in W.S. 19-13-301. Funds distributed to the search and rescue account under this section shall be administered in accordance with the following:

(i) The funds deposited in the search and rescue account under this section are continuously appropriated to the department of homeland security and shall only be used for the purposes provided in W.S. 19-13-301(b) and 19-13-301(c);

(ii) The department of homeland security may establish methods to accept voluntary contributions in support of search and rescue activities for deposit into the search and rescue account. The department of homeland security may suggest and solicit specific contribution amounts;

(iii) The department, in consultation with the Wyoming department of homeland security, is authorized to receive and credit to the search and rescue account, any money or property of any kind or character donated, granted or bequeathed to Wyoming search and rescue activities. The

department of homeland security shall have the authority to carry out the terms, if any, of the grant, donation or bequest, or in the absence of any terms or limitations, to expend the money or the proceeds of the property as it may deem advisable for search and rescue activities under the provisions of this section and W.S. 19-13-301.

(c) Applicants shall apply at least thirty (30) days before registration is required for the vehicle for which the plates are intended. Except as provided in this section, application for, issuance and renewal of the search and rescue license plates under this section shall be subject to the same requirements and fees as provided in this article in addition to the fee collected under subsection (a) of this section. The license plate fees required under W.S. 31-3-102(a)(viii) shall accompany each application. The license plates under this section shall be issued by the county treasurer of each county and shall be displayed only upon the vehicle for which they are issued.

(d) The department shall prescribe the design of the search and rescue license plates authorized by this section in consultation with the public and other interested parties, which shall include an image of the bucking horse and rider described in W.S. 8-3-117. License plates authorized by this section need not include Arabic numerals designating the county. The department shall arrange for production of the license plates. Following initial approval, search and rescue license plates shall be subject to redesign on the same schedule as all license plates beginning with the year 2033 reissuance.

(e) The department may prepare any special forms and promulgate any rules necessary to carry out this section.

(f) Unless one thousand (1,000) sets of license plates are issued under this section before December 31, 2032, the plates authorized under this section shall be eliminated from production and the department shall report the cessation of production to the legislature not later than January 15, 2033.