More than a dozen federal agencies will redirect hundreds of millions of dollars in their technology budgets to fix the year 2000 computer problem, a senior Clinton administration budget official said Thursday. The money already has been appropriated by Congress, but the OMB can order certain funds directed to other purposes. That's because these old programs will be unable to distinguish the year 2000 from 1900. That's an increase of three agencies on this troubled list since the last OMB report in September, she said. The OMB's move to redirect the funds drew praise from Rep. Stephen Horn, R-Calif., chairman of a House Government Reform and Oversight subcommittee who is closely following the issue.
Horn also advocates diverting non-technology funds, if necessary, to the computer overhaul.
Horn unveiled his own analysis of agencies' progress to date. Horn's analysis doesn't include the less critical computer systems the agencies use for internal management or other systems that will be affected by the year 2000 bug, such as embedded computer chips that control building security systems and elevators. The worst offenders on Horn's list were the departments of Labor and Energy. At last quarter's pace, those agencies won't finish the year 2000 conversion job until 2019, Horn said. Telephone calls to Labor and Energy officials weren't immediately returned.