[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 16, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S9433]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         GROWING SUPPORT FOR AN OUTSIDE AUTHORITY TO HANDLE Y2K

 Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, there appears to be some movement 
on my idea to appoint a commission--which will act more like a special 
task force--to oversee the Federal Government's handling of the year 
2000 problem. In this morning's Federal Page of the Washington Post, a 
story entitled `` `Year 2000' Report Flunks 3 Agencies'' reports that 
``three house Republicans called on President Clinton to appoint a 
special aide to tackle the computer problem.'' In July 1996, I wrote 
the President and proposed the creation of just such a ``Y2K czar.'' 
But the administration is still confident that the Office of Management 
and Budget can handle the job. Like my House counterparts, I fear OMB 
may not have the time or the resources to handle this issue.
  In 1997, fearing the private sector's lagging awareness, I realized 
that perhaps a task force could increase awareness in the private 
sector while ensuring compliance in the public sector.
  Thus I introduced a first day bill, S. 22, to address this matter 
through a special task force. S. 22 is cosponsored by 16 Senators and 
has been endorsed by the New York Stock Exchange [NYSE]. The enormity 
of this problem demands a task force of experts to ensure compliance. I 
hope my colleagues agree.
  I ask that `` `Year 2000' Report Flunks 3 Agencies'' from today's 
Washington Post be printed in the Record.
  The material follows:

               [From the Washington Post, Sept. 16, 1997]

``Year 2000'' Report Flunks 3 Agencies--Lawmakers Urge Special Aide to 
                    Handle Looming Computer Problem

                           (By Stephen Barr)

       A congressional report card flunked three federal agencies 
     and faulted several others yesterday for moving too slowly on 
     fixing potential ``year 2000'' computer glitches.
       Rep. Stephen Horn (R-Calif), who oversees information 
     technology issues in the House, issued the report card at a 
     news briefing, where he was joined by Reps. Thomas M. Davis 
     III (R-Va.) and Constance A. Morella (R-Md.). The three House 
     Republicans called on President Clinton to appoint a special 
     aid to tackle the computer problem.
       ``Most agencies are behind schedule,'' Horn said. ``The 
     problem, of course, is that we do not know which programs 
     will fail, what problems their failures will create, an how 
     disastrous will be the consequences.''
       Most large computer systems use a two-digit dating system 
     that assumes 1 and 9 are the first two digits of the year. 
     Without specialized reprogramming, the system will think the 
     year 2000--or 00--is 1900, a glitch that could cause most to 
     go haywire.
       If government systems are not fixed, malfunctions could 
     jeopardize the tax-processing system, payments to veterans 
     with service-connected disabilities, student loan repayments 
     and perhaps even air traffic control.
       Horn issued his grades on the same day the Office of 
     Management and Budget delivered to report to Congress that 
     reflected a more aggressive stance by OMB is dealing with the 
     problem. The OMB report said agencies estimate they will 
     spend $3.8 billion fixing the year 2000 problem.
       OMB put four agencies on notice that they will not be 
     allowed to buy new computer and other information technology 
     systems in fiscal 1999 until they have fixed critical 
     computer systems. The funding restriction, however, will be 
     lifted if agencies can justify the need for new equipment or 
     show sufficient progress on the year 2000 problem.
       ``I have a high degree of confidence there will not be 
     adverse economic consequences flowing from this decision,'' 
     said Sally Katzen, OMB's administrator for information and 
     regulatory affairs. But, she added, OMB's increased scrutiny 
     will ``reestablish priorities for these agencies.''
       The agencies on OMB's troubled list are the departments of 
     Agriculture, Transportation and Education and the Agency for 
     International Development. On his report card, Horn flunked 
     Education, Transportation and AID and gave Agriculture a D-
     minus.
       Agency officials expressed confidence yesterday that they 
     would make their year 2000 fixes before the Jan. 1, 2000, 
     deadline. The pointed out that the OMB report and Horn's 
     grades represented an August snapshot that does not reflect 
     recent decisions to repair or replace computers.
       At the Agriculture Department, Secretary Dan Glickman has 
     issued a five-point plan to address year 2000 problems, 
     officials said. An AID official said the agency has narrowed 
     its problem to 28 date fields in a software system that can 
     be ``readily resolved.'' An Education spokesman said the 
     department ``hopes to have most if not all the problems 
     resolved in the coming year.'' And at Transportation, a 
     spokesman said DOT plans to make many of its fixes by early 
     1999.
       Yesterday, Horn, Davis and Morella urged Clinton to 
     designate a White House official to lead the government 
     effort to fix year 2000 computer bugs. Horn and Davis praised 
     OMB Director Franklin D. Raines but said pressing budget 
     issues rob him of the necessary time to oversee the computer 
     situation. Morella said Katzen, who oversees regulatory 
     affairs across the government, has done a ``good job'' on 
     year 2000 policy but contended ``they need someone for whom 
     this is a full-time job.''
       Katzen said she ``very respectfully disagreed that a new 
     bureaucracy is the way to go. . . . This is an issue in which 
     the agencies themselves have to do the work and it is to them 
     that we must look to be responsible and accountable.''

                               REPORT CARD
 [Federal agencies were graded on their progress toward addressing year
   2000 computer problems--and given a place to have the report cards
                                 signed]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     Agency                               Grade
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Social Security Administration.................  A-
General Services Administration................  B
National Science Foundation....................  B
Small Business Administration..................  B
Department of Health and Human Services........  B-
Environmental Protection Agency................  C
Federal Emergency Management Agency............  C
Department of Housing and Urban Development....  C
Department of Interior.........................  C
Department of Labor............................  C
Department of State............................  C
Department of Veterans Affairs.................  C
Department of Defense..........................  C-
Department of Commerce.........................  D
Department of Energy...........................  D
Department of Justice..........................  D
Nuclear Regulatory Commission..................  D
Office of Personnel Management.................  D
Department of Agriculture......................  D-
Department of Treasury.........................  D-
NASA...........................................  D-
Agency for International Development...........  F
Department of Education........................  F
Department of Transportation...................  F
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: House subcommittee on government management, information and
  technology.

  

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