(a) The State Director will appoint one Rural Development employee to serve as a voting member of the panel established in § 1940.956(c)(1) of this subpart.

(b) The Administrator may appoint, temporarily and for specific purposes, personnel from any department or agency of the Federal Government as nonvoting panel members, with the consent of the head of such department or agency, to provide official information to the panel. The member(s) appointed shall have expertise to perform a duty described in § 1940.956(b) of this subpart that is not available among panel members.

(c) Federal panel members will be paid per diem or otherwise reimbursed by the Federal Government for expenses incurred each day the employee is engaged in the actual performance of a duty of the panel. Reimbursement will be in accordance with Federal travel regulations.