7 U.S.C. § 344 — Ascertainment of entitlement of State to funds; time and manner of payment; State reporting requirements; plans of work

(a) Around October 1 each year, the Secretary of Agriculture decides whether each state qualifies for its share of that year's cooperative agricultural extension work money, and how much. Before any college gets its funds for a fiscal year, its officials must submit a work plan, and the Secretary must approve it. The Secretary must also make sure each college seeking these funds has guidelines to reduce conflicts of interest among its employees whose pay comes partly or fully from this funding. (b) A state's funding is paid in four equal payments, in or around July, October, January, and April, to the state treasurer or other officer the state has authorized to receive it. That officer must report to the Secretary around April 1 each year, giving a detailed account of how much money came in the year before and how it was spent, on forms the Secretary provides. (c) Each state's required work plan under (a) must describe: (1) a summary of planned projects using formula funds; (2) how the state will meet the requirements of section 343(h); (3) how the state will meet the requirements of section 361c(i)(2); and (4) matching funds the state provided in the previous fiscal year. (d) The Secretary must develop protocols for judging how well multi-state, multi-institution, and multi-discipline extension and research-and-extension activities address important farming problems identified in the work plans. The Secretary must develop these protocols together with the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board and with land-grant colleges and universities. (e) As much as practical, the Secretary should treat a state's approved work plan as satisfying other federal reporting requirements too.