EXTENSION SERVICE.

SEC. 2346. EXTENSION SERVICE. Section 502 of the Rural Development Act of 1972 (7 U.S.C. 2662) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: “(g) Rural Economic and Business Development.— “(1) In general.— The Secretary shall establish an Extension Service rural economic and business development program to enable States or counties to employ specialists as Cooperative Extension Service staff of the State or county to assist individuals in creating new businesses, including cooperatives, or to assist existing businesses, and to assist such businesses regarding advanced telecommunications, computer technologies, technical or management assistance, business and financial planning, and other related matters, and to assist community leaders in community economic analysis and strategic planning. “(2) Function of specialists.— Specialists employed under paragraph (1) shall provide economic development information and assistance concerning business creation, business planning and advice, advanced telecommunications, business management, computer operations, and other technical assistance to community leaders and private sector entrepreneurs and cooperatives operating in the State or county that employs such specialists. “(3) Procedures and limitations.— The Secretary shall establish policies, procedures, and limitations that shall apply to States and counties that desire to participate in the program established under this subsection. States and counties shall determine the types of rural economic and business development specialists that are needed by such States and counties. In States with land-grant colleges and universities eligible to receive funds under the Act of July 2, 1862 (7 U.S.C. 301 et seq.), and the Act of August 30, 1890 (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), including Tuskegee University, such eligible institutions shall determine the types of rural economic and business development specialists needed. “(4) Payment of salary.— The Secretary shall make grants to States and counties that participate in the program established under this section in an amount equal to 60 percent of the total amount of the salary paid to any specialists employed under such program, and the State or county shall provide funds for the remaining 40 percent of such salary. Land-grant colleges and universities eligible to receive funds under the Act of August 30, 1890 (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), including Tuskegee University, shall be exempt from the 40 percent salary matching requirement. “(5) Limitations on authorization of appropriations.— To carry out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 in fiscal year 1991, $10,000,000 in fiscal year 1992, $15,000,000 in fiscal year 1993, and $20,000,000 in fiscal year 1994 and each subsequent fiscal year. Amounts appropriated under this section shall remain available until expended. “(6) Coordination.— The Secretary shall ensure that the activities of the Extension Service rural economic and business development program established under this subsection are coordinated with the Small Business Administration to ensure that there is no duplication of activities in any local area, county or region. 104 STAT. 4033 “(b) Rural Development Extension Work.— “(1) National program.— The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish a national program, to be administered by the Extension Service, to provide rural citizens with training in, technical and management assistance regarding, and educational opportunities to enhance their knowledge of— “(A) beginning businesses through entrepreneurship; “(B) the procedures necessary to establish new businesses in rural areas; “(C) self-employment opportunities in rural areas; “(D) the uses of modern telecommunications and computer technologies; “(E) business and financial planning; and “(F) such other training, assistance, and educational opportunities as the Secretary determines are necessary to carry out the program established under this subsection. “(2) Leadership abilities.— The program established under this subsection shall provide assistance designed to increase the leadership abilities of residents in rural areas. Such assistance shall include— “(A) information relevant to the development of community goals; “(B) instruction regarding the methods by which State or Federal funding for rural development projects might be obtained; “(C) instruction regarding the successful writing of applications for loan or grant funds from government and private sources; “(D) an updated listing of State, Federal, and other economic development programs available to rural areas; and “(E) such other training, information, and assistance as the Secretary determines necessary to increase the leadership abilities of residents in rural areas. “(3) Catalog of programs.— The National Rural Information Center Clearinghouse of the National Agricultural Library, in cooperation with the Extension Service in each State, should develop, maintain, and provide to each community, and make accessible to any other interested party, a catalog of available State, Federal, or private programs that provide leadership training or other information or services similar or complementary to the training or services required by this subsection. Such catalog should include, at a minimum, the following entities within the State that provide such training or services: “(A) Any rural electric cooperative. “(B) Any nonprofit company development corporation. “(C) Any economic development district that serves a rural community. “(D) Any nonprofit subsidiary of any private entity. “(E) Any nonprofit organization whose principal purpose is to promote economic development in rural areas. “(F) Any investor or publicly owned electric utility. “(G) Any small business development center or small business investment company. “(H) Any regional development organization. “(I) Any vocational or technical school. “(J) Any Federal, State, or local government agency or department. 104 STAT. 4034 “(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.”.