Section 4. Powers and duties.
The powers and duties of the task force shall be to:
(1) Serve as a repository of data about rural issues and problems.
(2) Conduct research and encourage research by colleges and universities, other governmental units and private organizations.
(3) Identify and make recommendations concerning rural problems which are of an interagency or intergovernmental nature including, but not limited to, agricultural, educational, medical, social, transportation, environmental, economic and land use, that affect the economy and people of rural areas.
(4) Identify areas of need in rural regions and identify the resources of various Federal, State and local agencies to address these needs.
(5) Develop recommendations on ways to improve governmental services in rural Pennsylvania, including drafting legislation when changes in law are recommended.
(6) Conduct public hearings to solicit testimony from public and private agencies, citizens and representatives of local government on the status of rural services in this Commonwealth.
(7) Provide the Governor and the General Assembly with an annual report on the findings, recommendations and accomplishments of the task force.
(8) Enter into contracts and make grants in the execution of its powers and duties.