Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 118.djvu/2857

 118 STAT. 2827 PUBLIC LAW 108–447—DEC. 8, 2004 and Expenses’’, of which $100,000 shall be provided to develop a regional system for centralized billing, operation, and manage ment of rural water and sewer utilities through regional coopera tives, of which 25 percent shall be provided for water and sewer projects in regional hubs, and the State of Alaska shall provide a 25 percent cost share, and grantees may use up to 5 percent of grant funds, not to exceed $35,000 per community, for the comple tion of comprehensive community safe water plans; not to exceed $18,250,000 shall be for technical assistance grants for rural water and waste systems pursuant to section 306(a)(14) of such Act, of which $5,600,000 shall be for Rural Community Assistance Pro grams and not less than $800,000 shall be for a qualified national Native American organization to provide technical assistance for rural water systems for tribal communities; and not to exceed $13,500,000 shall be for contracting with qualified national organizations for a circuit rider program to provide technical assist ance for rural water systems: Provided further, That of the total amount appropriated, not to exceed $22,166,000 shall be available through June 30, 2005, for authorized empowerment zones and enterprise communities and communities designated by the Sec retary of Agriculture as Rural Economic Area Partnership Zones; of which $1,081,000 shall be for the rural community programs described in section 381E(d)(1) of such Act, of which $12,582,000 shall be for the rural utilities programs described in section 381E(d)(2) of such Act, and of which $8,503,000 shall be for the rural business and cooperative development programs described in section 381E(d)(3) of such Act: Provided further, That of the amount appropriated for rural community programs, not to exceed $21,000,000 shall be to provide grants for facilities in rural commu nities with extreme unemployment and severe economic depression (Public Law 106–387), with 5 percent for administration and capacity building in the State rural development offices: Provided further, That of the amount appropriated, $28,000,000 shall be transferred to and merged with the ‘‘Rural Utilities Service, High Energy Cost Grants Account’’ to provide grants authorized under section 19 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 918a): Provided further, That any prior year balances for high cost energy grants authorized by section 19 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 901(19)) shall be transferred to and merged with the ‘‘Rural Utilities Service, High Energy Costs Grants Account’’. RURAL DEVELOPMENT SALARIES AND EXPENSES (INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS) For necessary expenses for carrying out the administration and implementation of programs in the Rural Development mission area, including activities with institutions concerning the develop ment and operation of agricultural cooperatives; and for cooperative agreements; $148,452,000: Provided, That of funds appropriated under this title for salaries and expenses, not less than $5,000,000 shall be used to complete the consolidation of Rural Development activities in St. Louis, to the Goodfellow facility also in St. Louis: Provided further, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds appropriated under this section may be used for advertising and promotional activities that support the Rural Development mission area: Provided further, That not more than $10,000 may

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