                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND THE CENTER (§ 2.2-2723)

A. The Board of Trustees shall have the following powers and duties:

   1. Manage, control, maintain, and operate the Center;

   2. Take all actions necessary to qualify the Center as exempt from taxation
   pursuant to &#xA7; 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and operate the
   Center in accordance with the provisions governing nonstock corporations as
   set out in Chapter 10 of Title 13.1, provided that, in the event of the
   dissolution of the Center, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt
   purposes within the meaning of &#xA7; 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code,
   or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be
   distributed to the Commonwealth or a local government for a public purpose;

   3. Establish bylaws as may be necessary for the governance and conduct of
   business of the Board;

   4. Employ and establish the qualifications and duties, and fix salaries and
   compensation of staff of the Center from such funds as may be available to the
   Center;

   5. Seek federal funds available to state rural development councils, pursuant
   to the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, P.L. 107-171;

   6. Seek, accept, administer, and expend gifts, grants, donations, bequests,
   and any other funds on behalf of the Center to support and facilitate its
   work;

   7. Accept, administer, and expend donations, bequests, or devises of real and
   personal property for the endowment of the Center or for any special purpose
   designated by the donor that is consistent with the purposes of the Center set
   forth in this article;

   8. Have, in addition to its other powers, all the corporate powers given to
   nonstock corporations by the provisions of Title 13.1. The Board shall also
   have the power to accept, execute, and administer any trust in which it may
   have an interest under the terms of the instrument creating the trust;

   9. Enter into contracts with respect to the duties and responsibilities
   imposed upon the Center herein;

   10. Report annually concerning the status, needs, and accomplishments of the
   Center to the Governor and the General Assembly; and

   11. Perform any lawful acts necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes
   of this article.

B. The Center shall have the following powers and duties:

   1. Develop a broad-based constituency to advocate for the interests of rural
   Virginia in the formulation of the Commonwealth&#8217;s public policies;

   2. Coordinate and facilitate research on rural issues and analyze the effect
   of public policies and private sector interests on rural communities;

   3. Prepare a detailed analysis of rural Virginia economies annually for
   submission to the Board, together with feasible and appropriate alternatives
   designed to sustain economic growth in rural areas of the Commonwealth;

   4. Facilitate public-private investments in the infrastructure of rural
   Virginia;

   5. Develop programs designed to train local elected officials and community
   leaders for effective leadership in rural communities;

   6. Foster innovative strategies that promote the development and prosperity of
   rural communities in the Commonwealth;

   7. Facilitate the development of incentives and provide a forum for competing
   interests to allow for job creation and expanded economic opportunities for
   farm businesses and rural enterprises while ensuring the rights of localities
   to develop reasonable regulations of such farm businesses and rural
   enterprises to protect the health, safety, and welfare of residents;

   8. Provide for the collection, organization, storage, and dissemination of
   documents, data, and other information concerning issues relevant to the needs
   and continuous development of Virginia&#8217;s rural areas, including
   technical and research assistance to rural localities in the development and
   implementation of their strategic plans;

   9. Identify potential public and private resources for the Board&#8217;s
   consideration and review that may be used to generate additional funds to
   support and facilitate the Center&#8217;s work and foster the development of
   rural communities;

   10. Submit to the Board of Trustees such reports regarding the Center&#8217;s
   work, including, but not limited to, programs, activities, policy analyses,
   and financial statements, as may be requested by the Board; and

   11. Perform such other acts as may be necessary to accomplish the objectives
   of this article.

HISTORY: 2004, cc. 938, 964; 2005, c. 703; 2010, cc. 797, 833.