[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 28, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E793-E794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE YEAR 2000 COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THOMAS M. DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 28, 1999

  Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to introduce 
the Year 2000 Compliance Assistance Act, a bill that authorizes the 
acquisition of Year 2000 information technology by state and local 
governments through the Federal Supply Schedules of the General 
Services Administration (GSA). As a former local government official 
and high technology executive, I recognize the tremendous burden placed 
on state and local governments as they work to ensure that their 
mission-critical systems are ready for the new millennium.
  Under the presistent urging of Representatives Connie Morella of 
Maryland and Steve Horn of California over the past four years, the 
federal government has sluggishly moved toward readying most federal 
mission-critical systems for the Year 2000 conversion. However, many 
are now just beginning to turn their attention to the condition of many 
state and local government mission-critical systems that are essential 
to the seamless delivery of essential governmental services on all 
levels of government. As John Koskinen, chair of the

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President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion, has emphasized, we should 
all be concerned about the ability of some state and local systems to 
interface with Year 2000 compliant federal systems. These systems 
include Medicaid and welfare assistance programs.
  Recently, I held another hearing in the Subcommittee on the District 
of Columbia at which the General Accounting Office (GAO) provided an 
upate on the status of the District of Columbia's Year 2000 conversion 
efforts. The GAO reported this time that the city of Washington, DC was 
at significant risk of not being able to effectively ensure public 
safety, collect revenue, educate students and provide health care 
services. Despite Herculean efforts on the part of the District's Chief 
Technology Officer, strong private sector support, and substantial 
federal resources, it appears that the one thing that cannot be 
controlled during DC's Year 2000 compliance efforts is time. Many 
states and localities are simply running out of time. I am confident 
that a substantial number of states, cities, towns, and villages across 
the country are in similar situations as our Capital City.
  This is why I am today introducing the Year 2000 Compliance 
Assistance Act. This legislation is a voluntary program where the 
federal government will allow state and local governments to purchase 
Year 2000 conversion related information technology (IT) products and 
services off the GSA's IT multiple award schedules. Under this 
emergency authority, state and local governments will have one more 
option in the fight against time to procure Year 2000 compliance 
assistance in a cost-effective and timely manner. I believe that during 
this period of moving governmental responsibilities back to the states 
and localities, the federal government has a unique opportunity to 
provide procurement assistance to the state and local governments to 
help ensure nationwide Year 2000 compliance or contingency preparation.
  The authority under this legislation is limited to the unique nature 
of the Year 2000 computer bug. The authority would expire on December 
31, 2002, and could only be used by state and local govenments for 
procurements necessitated by the Year 2000 budget bug.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues towards the rapid 
enactment of this unique Year 2000 legislation.

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