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_ 129 Item Details($) Appropriations($) ITEM 103. First Year Second Year First Year Second Year FY2025 FY2026 FY2025 FY2026 Q. Out of the amounts in this Item, $250,000 the first year and $250,000 the second year from the general fund is provided for the Lenowisco Planning District Commission and Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission designated for operations of the Coalfield Expressway Authority. Such funds for grants shall be managed by the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority. R. The department shall continue the talent pathways planning grant program established in Item 114, Paragraph S. in House Bill 29 of the 2022 General Assembly, Special Session I. S.1. Out of this appropriation, $200,000 the first year and $200,000 the second year from the general fund is provided for the Lenowisco Planning District Commission and the Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission (PDC), in equal amounts, to identify, plan, and support economic development efforts within each PDC that align with federal funding opportunities, including Assistance to Coal Communities funding. In fulfilling the purposes of this paragraph, the PDCs may hire an additional position to help coordinate efforts and activities designed to maximize the receipt of federal funding by the region. These economic development initiatives may be coordinated Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority and other regional economic development organizations as applicable. The PDCs shall provide quarterly reports to the department on the activities supported and federal investment secured as a result of the funding provided in this paragraph. 2. The department shall establish an Inter-Agency Task Force chaired by the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, or their designee, and comprised of designees from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority, Virginia Energy, the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Secretary of Labor, the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, and the Virginia Community College System. The purpose of the Inter-Agency Task Force is to review and make recommendations to support economic development in Southwest Virginia. In conducting its review, the department's Division of Economic Development and Community Vitality shall conduct regular stakeholder outreach with impacted communities and regional stakeholders to identify the necessary programs, resources, and policy changes required to support transitioning workers and communities. The Inter- Agency Task Force shall consult with impacted stakeholders including residents of the coalfield counties, employers in the coalfield counties, local government representatives, and representatives of regional nonprofit entities. T. l. The department is hereby authorized to use federal funding received by Virginia from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program of the Federal Infrastructure and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58). 2. In its implementation of Public Law 117-58, the department shall first confirm that sufficient funds are allocated to ensure the deployment of service to all unserved locations and all underserved locations, followed by coverage to Community Anchor Institutions in a manner consistent with Public Law 117-58 and related federal guidance. 3. Of the federal funding remaining after Paragraph T.2., the department shall take such measures as necessary to allocate the additional funding to include the purposes outlined below, drawn from the National Telecommunications Information Administration BEAD Notice of Funding Opportunity ("NOFO"): (i) User training with respect to cybersecurity, privacy, and other digital safety matters; (ii) Remote learning or telehealth services/facilities; (iii) Digital literacy/upskilling (from beginner-level to advanced); (iv) Computer science, coding and cybersecurity education programs; (v) Implementation of Eligible Entity digital equity plans to supplement, but not to duplicate or supplant, Planning Grant funds received by the Eligible Entity in connection with the Digital Equity Act of 2021;