The Board shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) To administer this Order in accordance with its terms and conditions and to collect assessments;

(b) To develop and recommend to the Secretary for approval such bylaws as may be necessary for the functioning of the Board;

(c) To make such rules as may be necessary to administer this Order, including activities to be carried out under this Order;

(d) To meet, organize, and select from among the members of the Board a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary-Treasurer and other officers, committees, and subcommittees, and to vest in such committees and subcommittees such responsibilities and authorities as the Board determines to be appropriate;

(e) To establish regional committees to administer regional initiatives;

(f) To recommend to the Secretary modifications to the geographical regions as described in § 1500.40(c);

(g) To establish working committees of persons other than Board members;

(h) To employ persons, other than the members, as the Board considers necessary to assist the Board in carrying out its duties and to determine the compensation and specify the duties of such persons;

(i) To prepare and submit for the approval of the Secretary a budget as described in § 1500.50(a);

(j) To borrow funds necessary for the startup expenses of this Order;

(k) To develop and carry out generic research, education, and promotion programs and projects relating to concrete masonry products, and to pay the costs of such programs and projects with assessments collected under § 1500.51 and other income of the Board as provided under §§ 1500.50(j) and 1500.62;

(l) To enter into contracts or agreements which must be approved by the Secretary before becoming effective, for the development and carrying out of programs or projects of research, education, and promotion relating to concrete masonry products, including with manufacturer associations or other entities as considered appropriate by the Secretary;

(m) To develop programs and projects, and enter into contracts or agreements related thereto, which must be approved by the Secretary before becoming effective, targeted specifically toward the Geographic Regions described in § 1500.40(c) to be recommended by the relevant regional committees for marketing and research projects to benefit manufacturers in such Geographic Regions pursuant to the goals of any programs or projects as set forth under this Order. The contracts or agreements related to such programs and projects as described in this § 1500.46(m) shall be subject to the requirements of all contracts or agreements described in § 1500.46(l);

(n) To keep minutes, books, and records that reflect the actions and transactions of the Board, and promptly report minutes of each Board meeting to the Secretary;

(o) To maintain such records and books and prepare and submit such reports and records from time to time to the Secretary as the Secretary may prescribe and to make the records available to the Secretary for inspection and audit; to make appropriate accounting with respect to the receipt and disbursement of all funds entrusted to it; and to keep records that accurately reflect the actions and transactions of the Board;

(p) At the end of each fiscal year and at such other times as the Secretary may request, to have the books and records audited by an independent auditor and submit a report of the audit directly to the Secretary;

(q) To give the Secretary the same notice of meetings of the Board and committees as is given to members, including committee members if committee members are not members of the Board, in order that the Secretary's representative(s) may attend such meetings, and to keep and report minutes of each meeting of the Board and all committees to the Secretary;

(r) To furnish to the Secretary any information or records that the Secretary may request;

(s) To receive, investigate, and report to the Secretary all complaints of violations of this Order;

(t) To recommend to the Secretary such amendments to this Order as the Board considers appropriate;

(u) To recommend adjustments to the assessments as provided in this Order;

(v) To notify manufacturers of all Board meetings through press releases or other means;

(w) To invest assessments collected under this Order in accordance with § 1500.50; and

(x) To periodically prepare and make available to the public and manufacturers reports of its activities and, at least once each fiscal period, to make public an accounting of funds received and expended.