Section 5-23-3

Negotiation of state's fee; contracts with financial institutions; use of state seal and insignia.

(a) If the Treasurer determines that the state may be a sponsoring entity for a financial institution credit card, he shall negotiate and contract for the most favorable rate of return for the state's fee by a credit card issuer. The state may not offer a more favorable rate to any one credit card issuer over another. The rate must be expressed as a percentage of the gross sales from the use of the credit card.

(b) In participating in a credit card program, the State Treasurer may contract with any number of financial institutions in order to establish the state as a sponsoring entity.

(c) There shall be only one official state sponsored credit card at any given time, and it shall be the official state sponsored credit card authorized by this chapter. It is provided further that the card issuer is authorized to use the official state seal and insignia on said official card.

(d) The state shall not contract to assume any liability for lost or stolen credit cards, nor any other legal debt owed to the financial institutions.

(e) The Treasurer is specifically authorized to extend any contract with a financial institution or institutions previously selected for the credit card program.

(Acts 1990, No. 90-524, p. 764, §3.)