[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 52 (Tuesday, May 2, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H2350-H2353]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING AND COMMENDING FEDERAL WORKFORCE FOR SUCCESSFULLY
ADDRESSING YEAR 2000 COMPUTER CHALLENGE
Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 300) recognizing and commending our
Nation's Federal workforce for successfully preparing our Nation to
withstand any catastrophic year 2000 computer problem disruptions.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 300
Whereas the Year 2000 computer problem (Y2K) created the
potential of a catastrophic international problem, causing
some computer systems and other electronic devices to
erroneously misinterpret the ``00'' in the year as 1900,
rather than 2000;
Whereas the American people expected and deserved reliable
service from their Federal Government to ensure that critical
Federal functions dependent on electronic systems would be
performed accurately and in a timely manner;
Whereas, after the initial series of congressional Y2K
hearings in the spring of 1996, it became clear that unless
appropriate action was taken, the Y2K problem could cause
severe consequences on the successful operation of Federal
systems;
Whereas Federal agencies and their employees subsequently
made significant progress in meeting the challenges posed by
the Y2K computer problem;
Whereas minimizing the Y2K problem required a major
technological and managerial effort and it was critical that
the Federal workforce rise to address this challenge;
Whereas the continued uninterrupted operation of our
Nation's Federal systems was due to the comprehensive efforts
made by those dedicated, talented, and committed Federal
workers who served ably in the front lines of this epic
battle in vanquishing the millennium bug;
Whereas the Federal workforce identified and worked to
resolve the Y2K problem, giving countless hours and their
holidays to assure the American people that major Y2K
breakdowns in key infrastructures were unlikely;
Whereas the level of Y2K effort was justified and the
threat was very real, and the risks and consequences of
inaction were too dire to justify a lesser Federal effort;
Whereas preparation for Y2K led to an unprecedented level
of effort that not only improved system inventories and
network reliability, but has also accelerated electronic
business and international cooperation;
Whereas the efforts of the Federal workforce to solve the
Y2K problem provided an important example of the Government's
ability to respond to future difficult technological and
management challenges; and
Whereas the level of Y2K success in the United States,
which has over one-fourth of the world's computer assets and
is the most technologically dependent nation in the world,
was quite remarkable, and was led by our Federal efforts:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress recognizes and commends the
meritorious service of our Nation's Federal workforce, and
all those who assisted in the efforts to successfully address
the Year 2000 computer challenge.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Horn) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Horn).
General Leave
Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on H. Con. Res. 300, the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H. Con. Res. 300 recognizes and commends the meritorious
service of our Nation's Federal workforce and all those who assisted in
the effort to successfully address the Year 2000 computer challenge.
Often called Y2K or the Millennium Bug, this was the greatest
technological and management challenge confronting this Nation since
the Second World War period.
The problem, which involved a programming decision made decades ago,
was obviously predictable. Yet management at only one of the 24 largest
Federal agencies had the foresight to begin an agency-wide program to
prepare its computers to handle the date change in the late 1980s.
That agency, the Social Security Administration, was also the first
to complete the work.
As is now well known, when designing computer programs in the 1960s
and 1970s, the programmers began using two digits rather than four to
indicate the year. In other words, instead of 1967, it was 67. This
shortcut enabled programmers to conserve the valuable computer memory
of those huge mainframe operations. With the approaching millennium,
however, the concern was that these computer systems would misread the
year 2000 as simply zero/zero and the computer would think 1900.
This confusion did, in fact, surface in anecdotal examples. In one
State, new car buyers found themselves the proud owners of horseless
carriages when State computers registered their vehicles as vintage
1900 rather than 2000. In another case, a 104-year-old woman was
requested to register for kindergarten when a school district computer
miscalculated the date of her birth by 100 years.
None of the problems were irreparable, thanks to an unprecedented
nationwide effort to meet the challenge.
{time} 1415
However, getting that effort started to take a great deal of work.
Four years ago, the Subcommittee on Government Management,
Information and Technology, which I chair, surveyed the Cabinet
Secretaries in a questionnaire by the ranking Democratic Member, the
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney), and myself, and the heads of
the 24 largest Federal departments and agencies. Some of these leaders
had not even heard of the problem.
The subcommittee began a concerted effort to urge government agencies
to begin fixing their computer systems through its ongoing hearings, 44
in all, and 10 report cards, which graded each department on its Year
2000 progress.
Recognizing the potentially devastating effect of this computer
problem, Congress accelerated its oversight
[[Page H2351]]
responsibilities in a bipartisan and bicameral effort. Former House
Speaker Newt Gingrich created the House Year 2000 Task Force, which the
gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) and I co-chaired. Its purpose
was to provide Congressional oversight of the Year 2000 compliance
efforts of the departments and agencies in the executive branch of the
government. Speaker Hastert supported this continuation when he assumed
office. Equal attention was provided in the Senate. In fact, since
1996, more than 30 Congressional committees and subcommittees have held
Y2K-related hearings.
After several years, letters cosigned by the gentlewoman from
Maryland (Chairman Morella) of the Subcommittee on Technology of the
Committee on Science and myself, the President issued an executive
order in February 1998 requiring all Federal departments and agencies
in the executive branch of the government to update their computer
systems. The order also established the President's Council on Year
2000 Conversion, which, under the leadership of John Koskinen, became a
vital instrument in the Government's effort to meet the year 2000
challenge.
Later, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) and I wrote a
letter to the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, urging the
United Nations to address this problem. They held one conference. It
was very successful. They held a second that was even more successful.
Here at home, however, change did not come quickly in some areas of
Federal Government, and this was caused by a systematic management
problem in the government, which is why I am a proponent of
establishing the separate Office of Management in the Executive Office
of the President. Nevertheless, Federal workers were focused on the
problem, devoting countless hours and holidays to ensure that
government services for millions of America's would not be jeopardized
by computer failure.
The unquestionable success of this effort clearly and definitively
demonstrated that teamwork, dedication, and strong leadership can stave
off the most monumental challenge, including Y2K.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman
from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), the sponsor of this legislation.
Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me
time, and I thank him for all the work he has done to allow us to
eliminate the possible Y2K computer glitch.
Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us is the culmination, as you have
heard, of 4 years of intensive oversight by the House Y2K Task Force
that was originally created by Speaker Gingrich. My fellow Task Force
cochair, the gentleman from California (Mr. Horn) has very nicely
recounted the history of our efforts, so I want to talk about the
resolution itself.
H. Con. Res. 300 recognizes our hard-working Federal workers for
their successful efforts in preparing our Nation from any catastrophic
Year 2000 disruptions.
The fact that our Nation's Federal systems were able to operate
unimpeded by Y2K was a direct result of the comprehensive efforts made
by those dedicated, talented and committed Federal workers who served
ably in the front lines of this epic battle to vanquish the millennium
bug. The Federal workforce identified and worked to resolve the Y2K
problem, giving countless hours, including their holidays, to assure
the American people that major Y2K breakdowns in key infrastructures
were unlikely. The risks and consequences of inaction were simply too
dire to justify a lesser Federal effort.
So, it is more than appropriate for Congress to commend the
distinguished and meritorious service of our Nation's Federal workforce
and all those that assisted in the efforts to successfully address the
year 2000 computer challenge.
Yes, the Y2K computer problem was one of the greatest information
technology challenges facing our Federal Government, and indeed the
world. We had the potential of ushering in the 21st Century with the
mother of all computer glitches, one with devastating effects on
government computers, rendering useless much of the Nation's date
sensitive computer data.
All kinds of systems would have been affected, air traffic control,
veterans' benefits, Social Security, our nation's electric power grid,
postal delivery, Medicaid, national defense, student loans, just to
name a few. Yet in the spring of 1996, when we first began our Y2K
hearings, the Federal Government was clearly unprepared for the
millennium bug, and we in Congress stepped up to the plate and raised
awareness about the problem by pushing Federal agencies, private
industry, toward immediate corrective measures.
There were many Congressional hearings that were held, and we did
indeed vigilantly exercise our oversight authority, and even enacted
legislation requiring the creation of a national Federal strategy,
prohibiting the Federal purchase of information technology that was not
Y2K compliant, providing legal protection for good faith Y2K
information sharing and disclosure, and curbing the possibility of
flooding our judicial system with frivolous Y2K lawsuits.
But we did have some great concern about Federal agencies, and the
initial reports that we received were very disturbing. I commented on
the need for having the executive step in in a radio address back in
January of 1998, and, following, the President did begin to use the
bully pulpit to raise the profile and take decisive action. He created
the Y2K Conversion Council and appointed John Koskinen as its chairman,
and suddenly Y2K was catapulted to become a top administration
management priority, and that helped make a major difference.
We in the House Y2K Task Force worked very closely with the council
to determine the scope and the impact of the problem. For example, we
focused with particular concern on the Federal Aviation Administration.
In just the past year and a half, we have held five specific hearings
on just the FAA alone and the potential for Y2K aviation disruption.
I just want to point out that in discussing it many, many times with
administrator Jane Garvey, who was appointed after our first set of FAA
Y2K hearings, she assured us that she would pilot FAA through the Y2K
turbulence and everyone at FAA would fasten their seat belts to get the
job done, and, quite frankly, they did. They did. They worked overtime,
they worked sometimes the entire 24 hours in every day, and they did
accomplish tremendous success with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Finally, in its aftermath, people have asked, was it real or was it
overhyped, this problem? Whether the $100 billion spent in the United
States was overkill? Were our Y2K efforts truly necessary to stave off
an impending disaster, or was it a non-event waiting to happen?
Well, quite frankly, there is no doubt the problem was genuine, the
money was well spent. It was not an exaggerated problem. From our first
hearing right up to the final one in December of 1999, we witnessed
systems that completely failed Y2K tests and crashed completely; and I
must say that Y2K was the single most thoroughly investigated issue
ever in the history of Congressional oversight. Ultimately, I think two
factors tip the balance from the grave uncertainty many of us harbored
in the beginning. The first is that we all knew that the Y2K problem
would strike on a date certain, January 1, 2000, therefore, allowing us
to collectively plan and coordinate efforts toward that deadline.
The other factor was that we were able to forge effective and
unprecedented partnerships with the public sector and the private
sector, as well as international, many collaborations that allowed us
to share information and monitor the world's progress. So the result
was a testament to the fact that we prepared well and invested
properly.
I believe the investments were not just about Y2K, but also about
improving and gaining knowledge about the information technology
systems. From our last hearing we learned a number of these lessons.
First, the international Y2K cooperation between organizations on all
levels opened up channels for future partnerships. We saw this
certainly with FAA, just as an example of the number of new
collaborative partnerships that were developed.
Also, the Y2K experience made us rethink the importance of
information
[[Page H2352]]
technology to businesses. It has helped us to develop a better
appreciation on the reliance on information technology. Top management
now needs to be more dedicated to information technology on a regular
ongoing basis.
Well, now that we have survived the January 1 date rollover, as well
as the recently passed February 29th leap year, we can look back and
take pride in our role in vanquishing that pesky millennium bug that
was supposed to cause such a catastrophe.
To all Federal employees, I salute you for your Y2K efforts. It is an
accomplishment about which you should all be very proud. I am proud to
be there with our members of the Task Force, indeed my cochair the
gentleman from California (Mr. Horn), to be there with you every step
of the way. It was an unforgiving deadline. It was clear that we could
not have met it without the Federal workforce and the private sector
working together, and the President working with Congress. We know the
American people were counting on us, and I am proud to say we did not
let them down.
I want to finally reiterate my thanks to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Horn), who held so many hearings throughout the
country, as well as the hearings that we had here on Capitol Hill; the
Task Force cochair, the ranking member of my Subcommittee on
Technology, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Barcia); as well as the
ranking member of the Subcommittee on Government Management, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner) for their leadership. Indeed, for
other Members, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Davis), who is here,
and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran), it was good teamwork. Well
done. Thank you Federal employees and all of us who were involved.
Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 300. Most
experts are in agreement that the Y2K problem presented the Federal
Government with its greatest management challenge of the last 50 years.
Our Nation has over one-fourth of the computer assets and is
technologically dependent, as we all understand, and millions of
Americans rely every day on uninterrupted computer service for
essential services. Certainly the repercussions of failing to conquer
the Y2K problem would have had devastating effects on our economy and
our national welfare.
Yet, despite the severity of the Y2K challenge, most observers
believe we got off to a slow start in focusing on the problem. As we
all know, unfortunately, it usually takes a crisis for the government
to concentrate its considerable resources and to solve a problem.
For more than 3\1/2\ years the Committee on Government Reform
Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology,
along with the Committee on Science Subcommittee on Technology, held
hearings to focus exclusively upon every facet of the Y2K computer
problem. Our subcommittee had over 24 hearings on the topic in the last
year alone; and I want to commend our subcommittee chairman, the
gentleman from California (Mr. Horn); the gentlewoman from Maryland
(Chairwoman Morella); and the ranking member, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Barcia) for the outstanding work they have done in
leading our Nation through this time of computer crisis.
I also want to thank the General Accounting Office that did
outstanding work, particularly Mr. Joel Williamson, who worked very
diligently to bring to our attention the progress being made, or not
being made, by the various Federal agencies. I also think we owe
special thanks to Mr. John Koskinen, who, as chairman of the
President's Council on the Y2K Conversion, did yeoman's work to be sure
that our Federal agencies, as well as the Nation as a whole, was ready
for the clock to strike midnight on December 31, 1999.
Our Federal workers, however, are the ones that are really due the
real credit for the ability of our Federal Government to meet the Y2K
crisis. The brunt of the work fell on their shoulders, and it is the
Federal workers who deserve the real credit. They were the troops in
the trenches, they were the ones who were on the front line, they were
the ones who gave up their holidays and worked overtime to be sure that
the Federal Government computers were working at midnight.
{time} 1430
As we approached January 1, 2000, we began to have a higher degree of
confidence that we were going to be able to be Y2K compliant and have
no significant disruptions. But the truth was, none of us really knew
for sure what would happen. Fortunately, we made it through with
virtually no problems. The Federal Government's computer systems were
ready to successfully operate in the new millennium due to the efforts
of these hundreds and even thousands of Federal workers who worked
diligently to cure the problems that they found.
We had a smooth transition; the Federal workers did their jobs, and
if it is true that the Y2K challenge represented one of the greatest
management tasks to face the Federal Government in the last 50 years
and that we were slow to focus our attention upon it, then we can take
even greater comfort in knowing that it was our Federal workers who
handled such a mammoth undertaking with such professionalism and skill.
Mr. Speaker, many of the success stories will never be told to the
public and many of our Federal workers will have to take comfort in the
fact that it was their efforts in those long weekends and on those
holidays that prevented us from having disruptions in computer
services. I am glad that this resolution recognizes our Federal workers
in one of their finest hours. As a result of their skill, January 1 of
2000 proceeded like any normal day. Once again, we have shown that when
faced with a challenge, whether in time of war or peace, the American
people are up to the challenge and our Federal workers certainly proved
their abilities and their dedication during this time. We owe them a
great debt of gratitude.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner)
who is the ranking minority member; he has been an outstanding member
of the committee.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Virginia (Mr. Davis). No one has worked harder on this issue than
the gentleman from what is known as Silicon Valley East, or Fairfax
County.
(Mr. DAVIS of Virginia asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I commend the authors of the
resolution on both sides, as well as our Federal workforce and, of
course, the contractors who worked together on this thing.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 300. I would
like to thank my colleagues, Representatives Morella and Horn for
introducing this resolution, and commend them for their outstanding
leadership on the Y2K issue. Their vigilant oversight made the
Administration and agencies recognize the potential disasters
associated with the Y2K rollover. As a member of the Government
Management Information Technology Subcommittee, I was proud to work
with my colleagues on this oversight. This commitment from Congress
helped to ensure that our nation did not see an interruption in the
delivery of critical goods and services on January 1, 2000.
In 1996, Representatives Horn and Morella began the initial hearings
on Y2K and discovered that many of our federal operations were
significantly behind in addressing the Y2K bug. It was readily apparent
that there could be severe consequences if federal agencies and their
employees were not able to address the pending Y2K crisis. There were
many outside of government that believed the federal workforce would
fail. Our federal workforce once again proved those naysayers wrong.
Our federal employees rose to meet this challenge and devoted countless
hours to tackling the technological complexities of the Y2K problem.
American taxpayers saw their return on investment on January 1, 2000.
There were no delayed Social Security checks and no federal services
were interrupted. This is due in large part to the federal employees
who worked weekends and holidays to ensure that the millennium bug came
without so much as a whimper.
As H. Con. Res. 300 states, the United States has over one-quarter of
the world's computer assets and is the most technologically dependent
nation in the world. The leadership of our federal workforce continues
[[Page H2353]]
to ensure that this dependence does not provide a threat to our
nation's well-being.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 300
and its swift passage today.
Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Moran).
Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas,
and I certainly want to be associated with his fine remarks in
congratulating Mr. John Koskinen for leading the executive branch in
the Y2K effort, and particularly the Federal workforce. But I also
wanted to be associated with the remarks of the gentleman from
California (Mr. Horn) and the remarks of the gentlewoman from Maryland
(Mrs. Morella) and all of those folks on both sides of the aisle who
made this such a successful bipartisan effort.
Mr. Speaker, this is one of the real success stories in terms of
legislation, because we had nothing to read about on January 1. The old
axiom with the media is if it bleeds, it leads, and there was no
bleeding on January 1, because the Congress, the House and Senate
leadership, and the executive branch recognized the importance, devoted
their attention to it, came up with the legislation that was necessary,
and certainly the executive branch came up with the resources and the
leadership that was absolutely essential to make it a nonevent.
I do want to recognize the efforts of the gentleman from Virginia
(Mr. Davis) as well in a related matter. In the private sector it was
the gentleman from Virginia who introduced the Y2K liability
legislation which ensured that the prediction that the American Bar
Association made, which was that there could be as much as $1 trillion
of liability suits brought by trial lawyers on January 1, never came to
pass because the Congress again enacted preventive legislation to see
to it that that did not happen; that lawyers were required to warn
companies 30 days in advance; that information was required to be
shared; that, in fact, there was a cap on punitive damages; and that
grants and loans were made available for small businesses.
So both in the private sector and in the public sector, the Congress
did its job. That is the point I want to make. It was a nonevent, but
both the legislative and the executive branch deserve a great deal of
credit for the fact that it was a nonevent both here in the United
States and worldwide. It would not have happened had it not been for
the leadership on both sides of the aisle, and they deserve
congratulations, as does the Federal workforce and Mr. Koskinen.
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, today I support H. Con. Res. 300, a
resolution recognizing and commending our Nation's workforce for
successfully preparing for the Year 2000 date change.
Contrary to what some felt might happen when the clock struck
midnight on January 1, 2000, planes didn't fall from the sky.
Telephones retained their dial tone; water still ran from the faucets;
and America's New Year celebrations were not left in the dark.
The smooth turnover from 1999 into 2000 is directly related to the
hundreds, even thousands, of man-hours directed by our federal agencies
toward preventing and correcting potential Y2K problems. Given the
disruptions that did not occur, I would say these efforts paid off
handsomely.
Y2K preparations paid off in other ways as well. As a result of Y2K
concerns, there are now thousands more American families that own
equipment needed to be adequately prepared for other types of
emergencies, namely snow storms, floods and hurricanes.
Government leaders on every level now have a better understanding of
technology management issues, and are more aware of the importance of
cooperation between local, state and federal officials. What's more,
the millennium bug provided a reason to upgrade government technology
systems and to inventory resources.
Just being able to say some five months after Year 2000 rollover that
it turned out to be a positive experience is a testament to the hard
work of the federal workforce.
It is also a reflection of the extensive efforts of the House Y2K
Task Force and to the leadership of the sponsors of this legislation,
Representatives Morella and Horn. It is a tribute to the efforts of the
President's Council on the Year 2000 Conversion, and to U.S. General
Accounting Office (GAO) as well.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this
resolution recognizing the good work of our Nation's Federal Workforce
and urge my colleagues to support it.
Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 300,
Recognizing and Commending our Nation's Federal Workforce for
Successfully Preparing our Nation to Withstand any Catastrophic Year
2000 Computer Disruptions.
I want to congratulate Federal Government employees for their efforts
in successfully addressing the Y2K problem. I want stress that this
Resolution recognizes the hard work of all Federal employees and
Federal contractors in evaluating and testing government computer
systems.
As was frequently stressed during the past three years, fixing the
Y2K computer glitch was not a technical issue; it was a management
issue. Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to commend the
President and the Vice President for the management structure they
developed to attack the Y2K problem. I specifically mention the Vice
President because some of my colleagues were ready to blame Vice
President Gore if there were any Y2K related problems. As we now know,
computer systems were ready for January 1, 2000, and just as some were
ready to lay blame so should we be ready to compliment for a job well
done. One of their outstanding management decisions was selecting Mr.
John Koskinen to be the Chair of the President's Council on Year 2000
Conversion. Mr. Koskinen galvanized and coordinated Federal activities.
It is a tribute to Mr. Koskinen's management and diplomatic skills that
the American public experienced no disruption of Federal services at
the Y2K rollover.
So, to the President, the Vice President, Mr. Koskinen and to all
Federal employees, all I have to say is congratulations on a job well
done.
In closing, I want to say that it has been a pleasure working with
Chairman Horn and Ranking Member Turner on the Subcommittee on
Government Management, Information and Technology on this issue during
the past three years. And as always, it has been a pleasure working
with Chairwoman Morella.
Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, having no further requests for time, I urge
the adoption of this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pease). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Horn) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res.
300.
The question was taken.
Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
____________________