All departments and agencies of the state charged with the administration of laws of the state are hereby authorized to have printed and bound pamphlets containing reprints of the laws or portions of such laws which are administered by such department or agency. Such pamphlets may include indexes and citations to opinions of the courts or the attorney general.

All pamphlets so printed shall be paid for from appropriations to the department or agency made by the legislature for that purpose. All copies of such pamphlets furnished to any other agency or department of the state government, or to any political subdivisions of the state or to the public at large, shall be sold at a price not less than the cost of printing and binding such pamphlet and the cost of distribution. The price to be so charged shall be fixed by the executive head of the department or agency and printed on the cover of such pamphlet: Provided, however, That no charge shall be made for pamphlets or digests of laws relating to conservation distributed to hunters, fishermen, agencies charged with the enforcement of the laws contained therein, prosecuting attorneys, agencies of other states, the United States or of any foreign government, and judges, justices and magistrates of the various courts in this state, or for copies of tax laws or workmen's compensation laws furnished on request to a person subject to such laws or to his duly authorized agent.

Copies of such pamphlets, to be used in the official work of the agency, may be furnished to officers and employees without charge therefor, but any pamphlet so furnished shall be marked as and remain the property of the department, and the established price shall be paid by the employee or officer if such pamphlet is lost or destroyed through carelessness or negligence: Provided, That publications required by law to be distributed without charge to the recipient shall be so distributed notwithstanding the requirements of this act.