(a)  The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available a special motor vehicle registration plate in support of public education. The plate shall bear the designation “Support Public Education”, and shall bear a design chosen by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education and which shall depict a ruler and an apple.

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(b)  The special plate shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it was issued, and shall be used in place of, and in the same manner as the registration plates issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be removed from the vehicle and the registration certificate for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle, in accordance with § 31-3-9. The registration certificate shall be in effect for the special plate.

(c)  The “Support Public Education” motor vehicle plates shall be the same size as regular motor vehicle plates and shall be designed in conjunction with the division of motor vehicles, with the design approved by the Rhode Island state police.

(d)  The “Support Public Education” motor vehicle plates shall be subject to a minimum pre-paid order of at least nine hundred (900) sets of plates. The Rhode Island “Support Public Education” plates shall not be issued unless the minimum order requirements are met.

(e)  The administrator of motor vehicles shall develop application forms, prepayment procedures and any other procedures deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(f)  In addition to the regular prescribed motor vehicle registration fee, “Support Public Education” motor vehicle plates shall be subject to a forty dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge.

(g)  The forty dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge shall be allocated as follows: twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be allocated to the division of motor vehicles for its costs in manufacturing and distributing the special plates and the remaining twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be distributed annually, based upon the vehicle registration, to the local school districts for educational purposes.

(h)  There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of “Support Public Education” motor vehicle plates.