* § 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