12 2 STA T . 11 84PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 2 3 4 —M A Y 22 , 2008 ‘ ‘ (4)NATION A L IN S TIT U T E.—Thet e rm ‘N a t ion a lI n s tit u te ’ means the National Institute on R e g ional Rural C om p etiti v e - ness an dE ntrepreneurship esta b lished under se c tion 385 C(b)( 2 ). ‘‘(5) RE G IONAL B OA RD .—The term ‘Regional B oard’ means a Regional Rural Investment Board described in section 385 D (a). ‘‘( 6 ) REGIONAL INNO V ATION GRANT.—The term ‘regional innovation grant’ means a grant made b y the S ecretary to a certi f ied Regional Board under section 385 F . ‘‘( 7 ) REGIONAL INVEST M ENT STRATEG Y GRANT.—The term ‘regional investment strategy grant’ means a grant made by the Secretary to a certified Regional Board under section 385E. ‘‘(8) RURAL H ERITAGE.— ‘‘( A ) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘rural heritage’ means historic sites , structures, and districts. ‘‘(B) IN C LUSIONS.—The term ‘rural heritage’ includes historic rural do w ntown areas and main streets, neighbor- hoods, farmsteads, scenic and historic trails, heritage areas, and historic landscapes. ‘ ‘ SEC.385 C. ES TABLI S HM E N TAN D ADMINIST R ATI O NO F R U RAL COLLABORATI V E INVESTMENT P RO G RAM. ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish a Rural Collaborative Investment P rogram to support comprehensive regional investment strategies for achieving rural competitiveness. ‘‘(b) DUTIES O F SECRETARY.—In carrying out this subtitle, the Secretary shall— ‘‘( 1 ) appoint and provide administrative and program sup- port to the National Board
‘‘(2) establish a national institute, to be k nown as the ‘National Institute on Regional Rural Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship’, to provide technical assistance to the Sec- retary and the National Board regarding regional competitive- ness and rural entrepreneurship, including technical assistance for— ‘‘(A) the development of rigorous analytic programs to assist Regional Boards in determining the challenges and opportunities that need to be addressed to receive the greatest regional competitive advantage; ‘‘(B) the provision of support for best practices devel- oped by the Regional Boards; ‘‘(C) the establishment of programs to support the development of appropriate governance and leadership skills in the applicable regions; and ‘‘(D) the evaluation of the progress and performance of the Regional Boards in achieving benchmarks estab- lished in a regional investment strategy; ‘‘(3) work with the National Board to develop a national rural investment plan that shall— ‘‘(A) create a framework to encourage and support a more collaborative and targeted rural investment portfolio in the U nited States; ‘‘(B) establish a Rural Philanthropic Initiative, to work with rural communities to create and enhance the pool of permanent philanthropic resources committed to rural community and economic development; Establi s hmen t .7USC20 0 9d d – 2.
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