§ 344 — Ascertainment Of Entitlement Of State To Funds; Time And Manner Of Payment; State Reporting Requirements; Plans Of Work

(a) 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) 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) Each extension plan of work for a State required under subsection (a) shall contain descriptions of the following: (1) A summary of planned projects or programs in the State using formula funds. (2) A description of the manner in which the State will meet the requirements of section 343(h) of this title. (3) A description of the manner in which the State will meet the requirements of section 361c(i)(2) of this title. (4) A description of matching funds provided by the State with respect to the previous fiscal year. (1) 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). (2) 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) To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall consider a plan of work submitted under subsection (a) to satisfy other appropriate Federal reporting requirements.