Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 104 Part 5.djvu/712

 104 STAT. 4034 PUBLIC LAW 101-624—NOV. 28, 1990 "(K) Any other entity that the Secretary deems appropriate. The extension service in each State should include in the catalog information on the specific training or services provided by each entity in the catalog. "(4) EMPLOYEE TRAINING.— The Secretary shall provide training for appropriate State extension service employees, assigned to programs other than rural development, to ensure that such employees understand the availability of rural development programs in their respective States and the availability of Extension Service staff qualified to provide to rural citizens and to State extension staff training and materials for technical, management, and educational assistance. "(5) COORDINATION OF ASSISTANCE. — The Secretary shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that assistance provided under this subsection is coordinated with and delivered in cooperation with similar services or assistance provided by other Federal agencies or programs for rural residents.". SEC. 2347. RURAL TECHNOLOGY GRANTS. (a) IN GENERAL.— Section 310B of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932) is amended by striking subsection (f) and inserting the following: Nonprofit "(f)(1) The Secretary shall make grants under this subsection to organizations. nonprofit institutions for the purpose of enabling such institutions to establish and operate centers for rural technology or cooperative development. "(2) Any nonprofit institution seeking a grant under paragraph (1) shall submit to the Secretary an application containing a plan for the establishment and operation by such institution of a center for rural technology or cooperative development. The Secretary may approve such application if such plan contains the following: "(A) A provision that substantiates that such center will effectively serve rural areas in the United States. "(B) A provision that the primary objective of such center will be to improve the economic condition of rural areas by promoting the development (through technological innovation, cooperative development, and adaptation of existing technology) and commercialization of— "(i) new services and products that can be produced or provided in rural areas; "(ii) new processes that can be utilized in the production of products in rural areas; and "(iii) new enterprises that can add value to on-farm production through processing or marketing. "(C) A description of the activities that such center will carry out to accomplish such objective. Such activities may include the following: "(i) Programs for technology research, investigations, and basic feasibility studies in any field or discipline for the purpose of generating principles, facts, technical knowledge, new technology, or other information that may be useful to rural industries, cooperatives, agribusinesses, and other persons or entities in rural areas served by such centers in the development and commercialization of new products, processes, or services.

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