(2) Our national character has been shaped by 
and is forever tied to the landscape in and sur-
rounding small communities. 
(3) A growing number of small communities are 
facing significant challenges that place their long- 
term viability at risk, including economic hardship, 
declining population, eroding tax bases, and environ-
mental pressures. 
(4) Revitalizing and strengthening small com-
munities begins by helping residents of those com-
munities to articulate and formalize their vision for 
the future and to develop an action plan to achieve 
that vision, including in the areas of economic devel-
opment, agriculture, tourism, transportation, land 
use, education, recreation, and culture, and by un-
derstanding the amenity characteristics of land-
scapes. 
(5) In many cases, a community’s vision for the 
future is rooted in and inseparable from the land-
scape, including the natural and built environments. 
(6) Landscape architects have the education, 
training, and skills, including in the areas of com-
munity involvement and public participation, land 
use planning, design, project visualization tech-
niques, scenic resource assessment, mapping and Ge-
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ographic Information Systems (GIS), environmental 
analysis, and environmental psychology, that ideally 
qualify them to lead community visioning efforts. 
(7) Expanding Federal support for small com-
munity visioning is an investment in the future of 
small communities and will leverage additional pub-
lic and private sector participation in such efforts. 
(8) Successful community visioning efforts have 
yielded tangible results with regard to the enhance-
ment of transportation corridors, economic develop-
ment initiatives, land use policies, conservation of 
natural and community resources, community mas-
ter plans, and park and recreation plans. 
SEC. 3. COMMUNITY VISIONING PILOT INITIATIVE. 
(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are 
to— 
(1) develop and facilitate innovative visions that 
help small communities to address pressing local 
needs; 
(2) facilitate coordination between small com-
munities, land-grant and other universities, and de-
sign professionals; 
(3) encourage public-private partnerships; and 
(4) translate the small community’s vision into 
images of design projects that integrate physical 
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planning and design techniques, with sustainable 
community action, at the appropriate geographic 
scale. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘small community visioning proc-
ess’’ means the process described in subsection 
(c)(2). 
(2) The term ‘‘small community’’ means a polit-
ical subdivision of a State with a population less 
than 25,000 individuals, an Indian tribe (as defined 
by section 2(7) of the Native American Graves Pro-
tection and Repatriation Act), a native Hawaiian or-
ganization (as defined by paragraph (11) of such 
section), or an Alaskan native village (as defined by 
section 3(c) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement 
Act). 
(3) The term ‘‘design professional’’ means a 
landscape architect licensed pursuant to State law or 
other individual with demonstrated skills, training, 
and education in community involvement and public 
participation, land use planning, design, project vis-
ualization techniques, scenic resource management, 
mapping and Geographic Information Systems 
(GIS), environmental analysis, and environmental 
psychology. 
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(4) The term ‘‘eligible grant recipient’’ means a 
small community, a land grant university or college 
established pursuant to the Morrill Act, an institu-
tion of higher education (as defined in section 101 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965), or an eco-
nomic or community development entity authorized 
by a State or political subdivision of a State. 
(5) The term ‘‘construction documents’’ means 
technical documents, drawings, and designs which 
contain dimensions, measurements, material speci-
fications, and other technical information necessary 
to complete design plans. 
(6) The term ‘‘Department’’ means the Depart-
ment of Agriculture. 
(7) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Agriculture. 
(c) GRANT AUTHORITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 
grants to eligible grant recipients for the purposes of 
carrying out small community visioning processes. 
(2) SMALL COMMUNITY VISIONING PROCESS.— 
In order to be eligible for a grant under this section, 
the applicant must use a small community visioning 
process that includes the following: 
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(A) SOLICITING AND ORGANIZING PUBLIC 
PARTICIPATION.—The broadest segment of the 
public is invited to participate, and the process 
is structured to maximize participation and 
maintain efficiency. 
(B) NEEDS DETERMINATION.—The small 
community determines whether the community 
requires assistance through this process with a 
broad-based needs assessment or whether it has 
identified a specific need through a prior com-
munity-based process that the community wants 
to address through the small community 
visioning process. Needs may include the areas 
of economic development, transportation, land 
use, agriculture, and the natural, cultural, and 
aesthetic values of the community. 
(C) DEVELOPING DESIGN OPTIONS.—Mem-
bers of the community engage in a series of dis-
cussions to articulate their vision for addressing 
the identified need. Design professionals facili-
tate the discussions, help members of the com-
munity identify areas of consensus, and begin 
translating the vision into images, including 
sketches, maps, digital images, computer sim-
ulations, and design concepts. The vision and 
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(A) $25,000, if the application for the 
grant was submitted pursuant to subsection 
(d)(1); or 
(B) $250,000, if the application for the 
grant was submitted pursuant to subsection 
(d)(2). 
(2) ADMINISTRATIVE
EXPENSES.—The Sec-
retary may use not more than 10 percent of the 
total amount appropriated under this section for 
each fiscal year to administer this section. A recipi-
ent of a grant under this section may use not more 
than 25 percent of the grant for administration. 
(3) LIMITATION.—A grant under this section 
shall not be used to develop or produce construction 
documents. 
(g) RECIPIENT CONTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of receiving a 
grant under this section, the grantee shall con-
tribute, from non-Federal sources, to the activities 
for which the grant is made an amount equal to 20 
percent of total costs of the activities. 
(2) USE
OF
IN-KIND
CONTRIBUTIONS.—The 
Secretary shall allow a grantee to meet the require-
ment of paragraph (1) by making qualifying in-kind 
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contributions of such type as the Secretary may 
allow in regulations. 
(3) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the re-
quirement of paragraph (1) in the case of a recipient 
who demonstrates to the Secretary’s satisfaction 
that the recipient is incapable of meeting the re-
quirement. 
(h) REGULATIONS.—Within 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this section and after opportunity for 
public comment, the Secretary shall issue such regulations 
as the Secretary deems appropriate to carry out this sec-
tion. 
(i) REPORT TO THE CONGRESS.—Not later than 3 
years after the date of the enactment of this section, the 
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a re-
port that describes, at a minimum— 
(1) the most effective practices and procedures 
used to assist communities in the small community 
visioning process; 
(2) examples of the public-private partnerships 
developed to identify and implement community 
goals; 
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(3) examples of the tangible, physical outcomes 
of small community visioning processes funded 
under this section; 
(4) recommendations for improving, strength-
ening, and expanding the program carried out under 
this section; and 
(5) a list of all grantees under this section, the 
city and State in which the grantees are located, and 
grant amounts received by each grantee. 
(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—For grants under this sec-
tion, there are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary not more than $5,000,000 for each of fis-
cal years 2008 through 2012. 
(2) RESERVATION
OF
FUNDS
FOR
APPLICA-
TIONS TO ASSIST MULTIPLE SMALL COMMUNITIES.— 
Not less than 40 percent of the amounts made avail-
able to carry out this section for each fiscal year 
shall be made available for grants for applications 
submitted pursuant to subsection (d)(2). 
(3) 
AVAILABILITY
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
Funds made available to carry out this section are 
authorized to remain available until expended. 
Æ 
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