(a) The Secretary shall negotiate and issue performance grants to qualified regional development corporations, regional planning commissions, or both in the case of a joint proposal, to provide economic development services under this chapter.

(b) A proposal shall be submitted in response to a request for proposals issued by the Secretary.

(c) The Secretary may require that a service provider submit with a proposal, or subsequent to the filing of a proposal, additional supportive data or information that he or she considers necessary to make a decision to award or to assess the effectiveness of a performance grant. (Added 1977, No. 112, § 1; amended 1979, No. 165 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 1985, No. 62, § 1; 1989, No. 21, § 3; 2009, No. 146 (Adj. Sess.), § G3; 2015, No. 157 (Adj. Sess.), § C.1, eff. July 1, 2017.)