2023 Maryland Statutes › Natural Resources › Title 1 - Department of Natural Resources › Subtitle 4 - General Provisions › Section 1-403 - Electronic System for Sale and Issuance of Licenses, Permits and Registrations

(a)    Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, the Department may develop and implement an electronic system for the sale and issuance of licenses, permits, and registrations and the recording and releasing of security interests.
(b)    The electronic system may include provisions for:
(1)    Recording titling and registration data;
(2)    Recording and releasing liens without the issuance of a security interest filing; and
(3)    Recording information relating to an application for a license, permit, or registration.
(c)    The Department shall develop the electronic system consistent with the statewide information technology master plan developed under Title 3.5, Subtitle 3 of the State Finance and Procurement Article.
(d)    (1)    Subject to subsection (f) of this section, the Department shall establish a process through which an individual who purchases an angler’s license, a Chesapeake Bay and coastal sport fishing license, or a hunting license and any corresponding stamps through the electronic system may make a voluntary monetary donation to the Healing Hunting and Fishing Fund at the time of purchase.
(2)    The Department shall collect the donations received under paragraph (1) of this subsection and deposit them into the Healing Hunting and Fishing Fund.
(e)    (1)    Subject to subsection (f) of this section, the Department shall establish a process through which an individual who purchases a license, permit, or registration through the electronic system may make a voluntary monetary donation to the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund at the time the license, permit, or registration is purchased.
(2)    The Department shall:
(i)    Collect any donations made under this subsection; and
(ii)    Distribute the proceeds of the donations as follows:
1.    50% to the Chesapeake Bay Trust established under § 8–1902 of this article; and
2.    50% to the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund established under § 8–2A–02 of this article.
(3)    (i)    The Chesapeake Bay Trust may use the funds it receives under this subsection only to provide grants and other resources to nonprofit organizations, community associations, civic groups, schools, or public agencies for projects to enhance or promote:
1.    Public education, including the publication or production of educational materials, concerning the Chesapeake Bay, the Maryland coastal bays, the Youghiogheny watershed, and other natural resources;
2.    The preservation or enhancement of water quality and fish or wildlife habitat;
3.    The restoration of aquatic or land resources;
4.    Reforestation; and
5.    Training in environmental studies or enhancement.
(ii)    Funds distributed to the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund may be used to provide financial assistance necessary to advance Maryland’s progress in meeting the goals established in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and to restore the health of the Atlantic Coastal Bays by focusing on nonpoint source pollution control projects, as authorized under Title 8, Subtitle 2A of this article.
(4)    On or before December 1 each year, the Department shall report to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly on the collection, distribution, and expenditure of any voluntary monetary donations made under this subsection in the previous fiscal year.
(f)    The donation process established under subsections (d) and (e) of this section:
(1)    Shall be made available only to an individual purchasing directly through the electronic system;
(2)    May not be made available to an individual purchasing through an authorized vendor; and
(3)    Shall be limited to providing not more than two options to which an individual may make a monetary donation.
(g)    The Department may adopt regulations to:
(1)    Implement the electronic system authorized under this section; and
(2)    Determine the appropriate fee levels that may be charged by a vendor and by the Department for the electronic transmission service.