(a) An owner or lessee of a motor vehicle who is a resident of this state and who wishes to promote agriculture in Tennessee through market development, education, and awareness, 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 agriculture specialty earmarked license plate for a motor vehicle authorized by § 55-4-210(c).

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 55-4-298

  • Agriculture: means :
    (i) The land, buildings and machinery used in the commercial production of farm products and nursery stock. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Department: means the department of revenue. See Tennessee Code 55-1-111
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • 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
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b)

(1) The additional fee imposed by § 55-4-204 for the issuance of agricultural specialty earmarked license plates, minus the expense the state has incurred in designing and manufacturing the plates, shall be earmarked for and appropriated to the department of agriculture for deposit in the agricultural development fund.
(2) The agricultural development fund shall be used exclusively for funding projects and activities that promote market development for agricultural products, as well as promoting information, education, and awareness about agriculture in Tennessee.
(3) The commissioner of agriculture may issue grants from the agricultural development fund for the purposes set forth in this section.
(4) Moneys in the agricultural development fund shall not revert to the general fund at the end of any fiscal year, but shall be carried forward in a reserve fund into the next fiscal year to be reappropriated for the purposes set forth in this section. All interest accruing on investments and deposits in the agricultural development fund not otherwise expended shall be returned to and made a part of the fund.
(c) The specialty earmarked plates provided for in this section shall be designed in consultation with the commissioner of agriculture.