A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to direct a joint effort to conduct a study of, and to develop a strategic plan for, the agricultural research stations.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  The Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University at Raleigh (NCSU), the Dean of the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and the Commissioner of Agriculture shall, with the advice and consent of the Board of Agriculture, jointly study and develop a comprehensive strategic plan for the management of the agriculture research stations that are currently jointly managed by NCSU and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.  The plan shall identify ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the research stations.  The Board shall seek input on the plan from farm organizations, commodity associations, and other interested parties.  Following approval by the Board of Agriculture, the plan shall be submitted to the Chairs of the House Agriculture Committee, the Senate Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee, and the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Natural and Economic Resources no later than May 1, 2009.
SECTION 2.  The costs of conducting the study and developing the strategic plan under Section 1 of this act shall be jointly and equally funded from funds appropriated to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the 2008‑2009 fiscal year.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2008.