12 2 STA T . 1 946PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 246 —J U NE 1 8, 2008 andop po rtu n i ti es t h at need to b e addressed to re c ei v e the g reatest regiona l co m petitive advantage
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‘ (B) the provision o f support for best practices devel - oped b y the R egional Boards; ‘‘( C ) the establishment of programs to support the development of appropriate governance and leadership s k ills 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 ) w ork with the N ational 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 S tates; ‘‘(B) establish a Rural P hilanthropic I nitiative , to work with rural communities to create and enhance the pool of permanent philanthropic resources committed to rural community and economic development; ‘‘(C) cooperate with the Regional Boards and State and local governments, organi z ations, and entities to ensure investment strategies are developed that take into consideration e x isting rural assets; and ‘‘(D) encourage the organization of Regional Boards; ‘‘( 4 ) certify the eligibility of Regional Boards to receive regional investment strategy grants and regional innovation grants; ‘‘( 5 ) provide grants for Regional Boards to develop and implement regional investment strategies; ‘‘( 6 ) provide technical assistance to Regional Boards on issues, best practices, and emerging trends relating to rural development, in cooperation with the National Rural Invest- ment Board; and ‘‘( 7 ) provide analytic and programmatic support for regional rural competitiveness through the National Institute, including— ‘‘(A) programs to assist Regional Boards in determining the challenges and opportunities that must be addressed to receive the greatest regional competitive advantage; ‘‘(B) support for best practices development by the regional investment boards; ‘‘(C) programs to support the development of appro- priate governance and leadership skills in the region; and ‘‘(D) a review and evaluation of the performance of the Regional Boards (including progress in achieving bench- marks established in a regional investment strategy) in an annual report submitted to— ‘‘(i) the Committee on Agriculture of the H ouse of Representatives; and ‘‘(ii) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and F orestry of the Senate . ‘‘(c) N ATION A L R UR AL IN VES T M ENT BOAR D .— T he Secretary shall establish within the Department of Agriculture a board to be known as the ‘National Rural Investment Board ’ . ‘‘(d) DUTIES O F NATIONAL BOARD.—The National Board shall— Establi s hmen t .R e por ts. G rants. C erti f i c ation.
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