* § 400. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby finds and
declares that:

1. Transportation of people and goods is vital to the economic and
social well-being of the metropolitan area embracing the counties of
Nassau, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester and the city of New
York.

2. General purpose local governments of the metropolitan area, the
state of New York, and local, regional and state agencies have a strong
common interest in coordinating and cooperating in performing
transportation planning to meet local, regional, state and federal goals
and objectives.

3. The transportation, land use, and economic planning and development
activities of public and private agencies within the metropolitan area
are of such magnitude and complexity and of such potential degrees of
mutual impact, as to make necessary a formally coordinated,
comprehensive, and continuing transportation planning and decision
process carried on cooperatively by local governments and agencies and
the state.

4. Titles twenty-three and forty-nine of the United States code
require such a transportation planning and programming process for the
metropolitan area.

5. Since nineteen hundred seventy-five, the Mid-Hudson south, New York
city, and Nassau-Suffolk transportation coordinating committees have
been recognized by the state and federal governments as appropriate and
effective subregional forums for cooperative transportation decision
making by principal elected officials of general purpose local
governments and local, regional, and state transportation agencies.

6. The members of the Mid-Hudson south, New York city, and
Nassau-Suffolk transportation coordinating committees have agreed to
join together to form the council of transportation coordinating
committees and, acting through the council, to constitute the federally
required metropolitan planning organization for the metropolitan area.

7. Pursuant to the federal regulations, the council of transportation
coordinating committees has been designated by agreement among the units
of general purpose local governments and the governor as the
metropolitan planning organization responsible, in cooperation with the
state and publicly owned operators of mass transportation services, for
carrying out the urban transportation planning process specified in 23
CFR 450 and 49 CFR 613 and other applicable federal regulations.

8. It is the purpose of this legislation to delineate the roles and
responsibilities and administrative, decision making, and staffing
arrangements for the transportation coordination committees and the
council to carry out transportation planning and programming to continue
the area's qualification for federal transportation assistance.

* NB Expired June 30, 1983

* NB There are 2 § 400's