[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4706 Introduced in House (IH)]

  2d Session
                                H. R. 4706

  To ensure that the United States is prepared to meet the Year 2000 
                           computer problem.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 6, 1998

 Mrs. Morella introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committee on Government 
Reform and Oversight, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To ensure that the United States is prepared to meet the Year 2000 
                           computer problem.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Year 2000 Preparedness Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act--
            (1) the term ``Year 2000 compliant'' has the meaning given 
        to such term in section 39.002 of the Federal Acquisition 
        Regulation (as adopted on August 22, 1997); and
            (2) the term ``Year 2000 computer problem'' means, with 
        respect to information technology, any problem which prevents 
        such technology from accurately processing, calculating, 
        comparing, or sequencing date or time data--
                    (A) from, into, or between--
                            (i) the 20th and 21st centuries; or
                            (ii) the years 1999 and 2000; or
                    (B) with regard to leap year calculations.

SEC. 3. CRITICAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES.

    The President shall provide for the acceleration of the development 
of business continuity plans by Federal agencies necessary to ensure 
the uninterrupted delivery by those agencies of critical mission-
related services.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of the Congress that the President should--
            (1) take a high profile national leadership position to 
        aggressively promote Year 2000 date change awareness for 
        information technology systems and sensitive infrastructure 
        applications; and
            (2) authorize the Chairperson of the President's Council on 
        Year 2000 Conversion to take control of any critical Federal 
        agency system that is in jeopardy because of ineffective 
        management of not meeting the January 1, 2000, deadline with 
        respect to the Year 2000 computer problem.

SEC. 5. MONTHLY REPORTS.

    The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall transmit 
to the Congress a monthly report assessing critical Federal information 
systems that will not, or may not, meet the Year 2000 computer problem 
deadline, and the anticipated consequences of those failures. Such 
report shall include a description of the status of business continuity 
plans for systems identified as being in jeopardy. The Director, in 
consultation with the Congress, shall establish additional reporting 
criteria for areas such as embedded systems and external data exchange.

SEC. 6. AGENCY REPORTS.

    All Federal agency reports to the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to the Year 2000 computer problem shall be concurrently 
transmitted to the Congress.

SEC. 7. GUIDELINES.

    The Chairperson of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion 
shall develop, in consultation with industry, guidelines of best 
practices and standards for remediation and validation with respect to 
the Year 2000 computer problem to provide better direction for 
government and private sector efforts.

SEC. 8. PROHIBITION ON ACQUISITION BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF GOODS 
              AND SERVICES THAT ARE NOT YEAR 2000 COMPLIANT.

    (a) Prohibition on Acquisition.--
            (1) In general.--An officer or employee of the United 
        States Government may not enter into any contract on behalf of 
        the United States, or otherwise expend or obligate funds of the 
        United States, to acquire goods or services that are not Year 
        2000 compliant.
            (2) Waiver.--
                    (A) In general.--The head of any Federal agency may 
                waive the prohibition in paragraph (1) with respect to 
                the acquisition of a particular good or service if--
                            (i) the head of such agency makes a 
                        determination, in writing, that the acquisition 
                        of the good or service which is not Year 2000 
                        compliant is necessary to the function and 
                        operation of the agency or is required pursuant 
                        to a signed contract which became effective 
                        before the effective date of section 631 of 
                        Public Law 105-61; and
                            (ii) written notice of the issuance of the 
                        waiver and a copy of the determination are 
                        submitted by the head of such agency to the 
                        Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
                        and to the Congress.
                    (B) Effective date of waiver.--No waiver issued 
                under subparagraph (A) shall be effective before the 
                end of the 2d business day beginning after the notice 
                required under subparagraph (A)(ii) is received by the 
                Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
    (b) Sunset.--This section shall not apply after December 31, 2002.
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