The Board shall have the following duties:

(a) To meet and organize and to select from among its members a chairman and such other officers as may be necessary, to select committees and subcommittees of Board members, to adopt such rules for the conduct of its business as it may deem advisable, and it may establish advisory committees of persons other than Board members;

(b) To appoint or employ such persons as it may deem necessary and to define the duties and determine the compensation of each;

(c) To prepare and submit to the Secretary for his approval budgets on a fiscal-period basis of its anticipated expenses and disbursements in the administration of this subpart, including probable cost of plans and projects as estimated in the budget or budgets submitted to it by prospective contractors, with the Board's recommendations with respect thereto. In preparing a budget for each of the 1994 and subsequent fiscal years, the Board shall, to the maximum extent practicable, allocate a proportion of funds for research projects comparable to the proportion of funds allocated for research projects in the Board's fiscal year 1993 budget.

(d) With the approval of the Secretary, to enter into contracts or agreements with persons, including, but not limited to, State, regional, or national agencies or State, regional, or national egg organizations which administer research, education, or promotion programs, advertising agencies, public relations firms, public or private research organizations, advertising and promotion media, and egg producer organizations, for the development and submission to it of plans and projects authorized by §1250.341 and for the carrying out of such plans or projects when approved by the Secretary, and for the payment of the cost thereof with funds collected pursuant to §1250.347. Any such contracts or agreements shall provide that such contractors shall develop and submit to the Board a plan or project together with a budget or budgets which shall show estimated costs to be incurred for such plan or project, and that any such plan or project shall become effective upon approval by the Secretary. Any such contract or agreement shall also provide that the contractor shall keep accurate records of all of its transactions and make periodic reports to the Board of activities carried out and an accounting for funds received and expended, and such other reports as the Secretary may require;

(e) To review and submit to the Secretary any plans or projects which have been developed and submitted to it by the prospective contractor, together with its recommendations with respect to the approval thereof by the Secretary;

(f) To maintain such books and records and prepare and submit such reports from time to time to the Secretary as he may prescribe, and to make appropriate accounting with respect to the receipt and disbursement of all funds entrusted to it;

(g)-(h) [Reserved]

(i) To prepare and make public, at least annually, a report of activities carried out and an accounting for funds received and expended;

(j) To cause its books to be audited by a certified public accountant at least once each fiscal period and at such other times as the Secretary may request, and submit a copy of each such audit to the Secretary;

(k) To give the Secretary the same notice of meetings of the Board as is given to members in order that he or his representative may attend such meetings;

(l) To act as an intermediary between the Secretary and any producer or handler; and

(m) To submit to the Secretary such information pursuant to this subpart as he may request.

[40 FR 59190, Dec. 22, 1975, as amended at 54 FR 99, Jan. 4, 1989, and 54 FR 11493, Mar. 21, 1989; 54 FR 12310, Mar. 24, 1989; 59 FR 38876, Aug. 1, 1994; 60 FR 66861, Dec. 27, 1995]