(B) A description of the process by which
board members are selected, including a discus-
sion of how the process meets the requirement
of section 2(5).
(C) A description of the process used for
rural development strategic planning.
(D) A ranking of the priorities of the coun-
ty for which the board is established.
(E) A complete assessment of the resource
base of the county.
(F) A complete description of each rural
development project that the board plans to
carry out during the 1st 3 years of the grant,
including—
(i) a timetable for completion of the
project; and
(ii) the goals and expectations of the
project, including a discussion of how the
project would build on the resource
strengths of the county for which the
board is established, or correct or mod-
erate resource weaknesses of the county.
(G) A detailed budget for each rural devel-
opment project that the board plans to carry
out during the 1st year of the grant, which
shall indicate the amount of funding for the
project, all other sources of funds for the
project, and the approval status of such other
sources of funds.
(H) A description of how each such project
will address regional needs and goals, as identi-
fied by regional planning or economic develop-
ment districts, rural development councils, or
economic development offices of the State in
which the county for which the board is estab-
lished is located.
(3) DEADLINE.—The Secretary may not con-
sider an application for grants under this section for
a fiscal year if the Secretary receives the application
after July 1 of the immediately preceding fiscal year.
(b) PURPOSES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The purposes described in
this subsection are the following:
(A) Upgrading of industries.
(B) Development of new economic activity.
(C) Creation of opportunities for economic
diversification or revitalization.
(D) Alternative agricultural programs, in-
cluding
products,
facilities,
and
marketing
ventures.
(E) Rural capital creation.
(F) Tourism.
(G) Technological linkages among edu-
cational institutions, libraries, and businesses.
(2) EXCLUDED PURPOSES.—The purposes de-
scribed
in
this
subsection
do
not
include
the
following:
(A) Planning by the applicant.
(B) Reimbursement of operating expenses
of county rural development boards or local
governments.
(C) Reimbursement of costs associated
with application for a grant under this section
or the administration of grants made by county
rural development boards with funds provided
under this section.
(c) APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Within 60 days after receipt
of an application submitted under this section, the
Secretary shall determine whether to approve or dis-
approve the application. If the Secretary disapproves
the application, the Secretary shall provide the appli-
cant with the reasons therefore and with suggestions
and recommendations for future applications for
grants under this section.
(2) FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED.—In deter-
mining whether to approve applications for grants
under this section, the Secretary shall give priority
to those applications that document at least 4 of the
following:
(A) That the rural unemployment rate for
the county is greater than the national average
unemployment rate for the United States.
(B) That there is a significant level of
rural poverty in the county.
(C) That there is a record of rural environ-
mental degradation in the county.
(D) That there has been significant migra-
tion from the county.
(E) That the percentage of adult residents
of the county with high school diplomas is less
than the national average of adults with high
school diplomas.
(F) That the economy of the county is ex-
cessively dependent on tobacco or any other sin-
gle crop.
(G) That there has been a decline in the
manufacturing base of the county.
(H) How the proximity to, or the relation-
ship or economic linkages of the county to, a
nearby central regional urban core could be
strengthened through the projects proposed in
the application so as to provide local stability.
(I) A history of improvements and local
commitment to the educational, social, library,
and financial systems of the county.
(J) That the economy of the county is de-
pendent on a single industry.
(3) 
FACTORS
TO
BE
GIVEN
GREATEST
WEIGHT.—In determining whether to approve appli-
cations for grants under this section, the Secretary
shall, subject to paragraph (4), give the greatest pri-
ority to applications that demonstrate—
(A) community commitment to the projects
proposed in the application;
(B) a long-term strategy for rural develop-
ment; and
(C) the ability of the county to achieve
rural economic and social improvement and
stability.
(4) OTHER
REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary
may not approve an application for grants under
this section unless the application demonstrates—
(A) that the applicant, the rural develop-
ment council of the State in which the applicant