[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 23, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H4968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE YEAR 2000 PROBLEM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 21, 1997, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Metcalf) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. METCALF. Mr. Speaker, right now it is about 6:30 a.m. on the West 
Coast. Imagine if you are waking up and for some reason the power is 
off and your alarm did not ring. The toaster will not work and the TV 
will not turn on. The faucet and shower are not working either. Your 
car pool did not show up and the phone will not work to call in late. 
Even your cell phone is not working.
  The streets are a mess because the street lights are out and, as you 
stop at the bank, your cash machine says your balance is zero. Beyond 
that, your flight to Chicago has been canceled. In fact, all flights 
are canceled, and you finally realize that it is going to be a really 
bad day.
  The year 2000 problem is real. In less than 15 months, we will face a 
different world. Not only will it be a new millennium but the effect 
and power of computers running every part of our lives may be more real 
than ever imagined.

                              {time}  0930

  Simply put, the year 2000 bug or Y2K, as it is called, if not 
corrected could, at worst, lead to catastrophic scenarios and, at best, 
to major inconveniences.
  This body has held hearings on this issue. Research studies have been 
written. The media has been heralding Y2K. Yet, even though we have 
seen this problem on the horizon for many years, most governmental 
agencies are not even close to being compliant regarding the myriad of 
possible commuter mishaps that will come at midnight on December 31, 
1999.
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Horn) has done excellent work in 
his report on Y2K. His findings and his grading system of the public 
sector are troubling. Yes, he graded the Federal agencies just like 
students. His findings and his grading of the public sector are very 
troubling.
  Over all, the administration gets an ``F'' for Y2K preparedness. As a 
teacher in my life before Congress, I can relate to a grading system. 
First, students do not like to have their grades waived in front of the 
class, let alone the whole Nation, but like careless students who 
procrastinate, a test is in place to check on progress.
  Frankly, I found the grades for the recent test of the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Horn) for Y2K compliance for government agencies 
clearly abysmal. Since the taxpayers are the financial supporters of 
these agencies, I think it is appropriate to take a look at a few 
grades.
  The Department of Defense, which oversees the largest nuclear arsenal 
in the world, run in large by computers, gets a ``D''. The 
Environmental Protection Agency, this famous organization which 
monitors the cleanliness of our water and air, gets a failing ``F''.
  The Department of Education, the agency that should be setting a good 
example for students, is getting an unsatisfactory ``D'' in computer 
compliance. The Department of Energy, regulating everything from 
nuclear plants to hydroelectric dams is failing miserable with an 
``F''.
  The Department of Transportation, the agency that has direct 
oversight over the Federal Aviation Administration and their control of 
the skies and airplane traffic, is getting an ``F''. This really 
concerns me. I fly a lot. These are just a handful of the grades.
  While some progress is being made, serious vulnerabilities still 
remain. The administration with its departments and agencies must be 
able to provide the American people with a sound plan to deal with Y2K. 
The unfortunate truth is that the final test is coming in 18 months. If 
we fail, we cannot just go back and retake the class. We can only live 
with the circumstances.

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