(a) The Secretary provides opportunities for consultation by elected
officials of those state and local governments that would provide the
non-Federal funds for, or that would be directly affected by, proposed
Federal financial assistance from, or direct Federal development by, the
Department.
(b) If a state adopts a process under the Order to review and
coordinate proposed Federal financial assistance and direct Federal
development, the Secretary, to the extent permitted by law:
(1) Uses the state process to determine official views of state and
local elected officials;
(2) Communicates with state and local elected officials as early in
a program planning cycle as is reasonably feasible to explain specific
plans and actions;
(3) Makes efforts to accommodate state and local elected officials'
concerns with proposed Federal financial assistance and direct Federal
development that are communicated through the state process;
(4) Allows the states to simplify and consolidate existing federally
required state plan submissions;
(5) Where state planning and budgeting systems are sufficient and
where permitted by law, encourages the substitution of state plans for
federally required state plans;
(6) Seeks the coordination of views of affected state and local
elected officials in one state with those of another state when proposed
Federal financial assistance or direct Federal development has an impact
on interstate metropolitan urban centers or other interstate areas; and
(7) Supports state and local governments by discouraging the
reauthorization or creation of any planning organization which is
federally-funded, which has a limited purpose, and which is not
adequately representative of, or accountable to, state or local elected
officials.
