1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to rural economic development; providing 
  1.3             funding for the rural policy and development center at 
  1.4             Minnesota State University, Mankato; appropriating 
  1.5             money. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [RURAL POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER 
  1.8   APPROPRIATION.] 
  1.9      $500,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  1.10  commissioner of trade and economic development for the biennium 
  1.11  ending June 30, 2003, for a grant to the rural policy and 
  1.12  development center at Minnesota State University, Mankato.  The 
  1.13  grant shall be used for research and policy analysis on emerging 
  1.14  economic and social issues in rural Minnesota, to serve as a 
  1.15  policy resource center for rural Minnesota communities, to 
  1.16  encourage collaboration across higher education institutions to 
  1.17  provide interdisciplinary team approaches to research and 
  1.18  problem solving in rural communities, and to administer overall 
  1.19  operations of the center. 
  1.20     The grant shall be provided upon the condition that each 
  1.21  state-appropriated dollar be matched with a 
  1.22  non-state-appropriated dollar.  Acceptable matching funds are 
  1.23  non-state-appropriated contributions that the center has 
  1.24  received after July 1, 2000, and have not been used to match 
  1.25  previous state grants.