
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 2, 2001 and January 28, 2002]
[CITE: 7USC344]

 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
            CHAPTER 13--AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGES
 
        SUBCHAPTER IV--AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION WORK APPROPRIATION
 
Sec. 344. Ascertainment of entitlement of State to funds; time 
        and manner of payment; State reporting requirements; plans of 
        work
        

(a) Ascertainment of entitlement

    On or about the first day of October in each year after June 26, 
1953, the Secretary of Agriculture shall ascertain as to each State 
whether it is entitled to receive its share of the annual appropriation 
for cooperative agricultural extension work under this subchapter and 
the amount which it is entitled to receive. Before the funds herein 
provided shall become available to any college for any fiscal year, 
plans for the work to be carried on under this subchapter shall be 
submitted by the proper officials of each college and approved by the 
Secretary of Agriculture. The Secretary shall ensure that each college 
seeking to receive funds under this subchapter has in place appropriate 
guidelines, as determined by the Secretary, to minimize actual or 
potential conflicts of interest among employees of such college whose 
salaries are funded in whole or in part with such funds.

(b) Time and manner of payment; related reports

    The amount to which a State is entitled shall be paid in equal 
quarterly payments in or about July, October, January, and April of each 
year to the treasurer or other officer of the State duly authorized by 
the laws of the State to receive the same, and such officer shall be 
required to report to the Secretary of Agriculture on or about the first 
day of April of each year, a detailed statement of the amount so 
received during the previous fiscal year and its disbursement, on forms 
prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture.

(c) Requirements related to plan of work

    Each extension plan of work for a State required under subsection 
(a) of this section shall contain descriptions of the following:
        (1) The critical short-term, intermediate, and long-term 
    agricultural issues in the State and the current and planned 
    extension programs and projects targeted to address the issues.
        (2) The process established to consult with extension users 
    regarding the identification of critical agricultural issues in the 
    State and the development of extension programs and projects 
    targeted to address the issues.
        (3) The efforts made to identify and collaborate with other 
    colleges and universities within the State, and within other States, 
    that have a unique capacity to address the identified agricultural 
    issues in the State and the extent of current and emerging efforts 
    (including regional efforts) to work with those other institutions.
        (4) The manner in which research and extension, including 
    research and extension activities funded other than through formula 
    funds, will cooperate to address the critical issues in the State, 
    including the activities to be carried out separately, the 
    activities to be carried out sequentially, and the activities to be 
    carried out jointly.
        (5) The education and outreach programs already underway to 
    convey available research results that are pertinent to a critical 
    agricultural issue, including efforts to encourage multicounty 
    cooperation in the dissemination of research results.

(d) Extension protocols

                           (1) Development

        The Secretary of Agriculture shall develop protocols to be used 
    to evaluate the success of multistate, multi-institutional, and 
    multidisciplinary extension activities and joint research and 
    extension activities in addressing critical agricultural issues 
    identified in the plans of work submitted under subsection (a) of 
    this section.

                          (2) Consultation

        The Secretary of Agriculture shall develop the protocols in 
    consultation with the National Agricultural Research, Extension, 
    Education, and Economics Advisory Board established under section 
    3123 of this title and land-grant colleges and universities.

(e) Treatment of plans of work for other purposes

    To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall consider a 
plan of work submitted under subsection (a) of this section to satisfy 
other appropriate Federal reporting requirements.

(May 8, 1914, ch. 79, Sec. 4, 38 Stat. 374; June 26, 1953, ch. 157, 
Sec. 1, 67 Stat. 85; Pub. L. 87-749, Sec. 1(f), Oct. 5, 1962, 76 Stat. 
745; Pub. L. 94-273, Sec. 15, Apr. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 379; Pub. L. 101-
624, title XVI, Sec. 1617, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 3732; Pub. L. 105-
185, title II, Sec. 202(a), June 23, 1998, 112 Stat. 531.)


                               Amendments

    1998--Pub. L. 105-185 inserted section catchline, designated 
existing provisions as subsecs. (a) and (b), inserted subsec. headings, 
in subsec. (b) substituted ``The amount to which a State is entitled'' 
for ``Such sums'', and added subsecs. (c) to (e).
    1990--Pub. L. 101-624 inserted after second sentence ``The Secretary 
shall ensure that each college seeking to receive funds under this 
subchapter has in place appropriate guidelines, as determined by the 
Secretary, to minimize actual or potential conflicts of interest among 
employees of such college whose salaries are funded in whole or in part 
with such funds.''
    1976--Pub. L. 94-273 substituted ``of October'' for ``of July'' and 
``of April'' for ``of January''.
    1962--Pub. L. 87-749 substituted ``quarterly payments in or about 
July, October, January, and April'' for ``semiannual payments on the 
first day of January and July'', and struck out ``, Territory or 
possession'' wherever appearing.
    1953--Act June 26, 1953, among other changes, inserted first two 
sentences, inserted references to ``Territory, or possession'' after 
references to ``State,'' in sentence commencing ``Such sums'', and in 
such sentence, struck out reference to payment by the Secretary of the 
Treasury upon warrant of the Secretary of Agriculture, and substituted 
``January'' for ``September'' with respect to submission of annual 
detailed statements.


                    Effective Date of 1998 Amendment

    Pub. L. 105-185, title II, Sec. 202(c), June 23, 1998, 112 Stat. 
533, provided that: ``The amendments made by this section [amending this 
section and section 361g of this title] take effect on October 1, 
1999.''

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in sections 343, 361c of this title.
