SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress hereby finds the following:
(1) Congressional hearings have documented
that there are enormous national interest economic
implications of the Year 2000 technology challenge
for critical national infrastructures, including bank-
ing and finance, energy, telecommunications, trans-
portation, and vital human services.
(2) The private sector costs of year 2000 reme-
diation are likely to be significant with the Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System estimat-
ing, in recent congressional testimony, such costs at
roughly $50,000,000,000.
(3) Although critical national infrastructures
are interdependent, with domestic and international
banking operations heavily dependent on tele-
communications and power infrastructures, there is
neither a national nor an international framework
for ensuring that all such infrastructures will be
ready for the Year 2000.
(4) In an April 1998 report to Congress enti-
tled, ‘‘Year 2000 Computing Crisis: Potential for
Widespread Disruption Calls for Strong Leadership
and Partnerships,’’ the General Accounting Office
recommended that the President’s Council on Year
2000 Conversion quickly formulate a comprehensive
picture of the Nation’s Year 2000 readiness and es-
tablish an effective approach to promote public-pri-
vate partnerships to resolve the Nation’s Year 2000
crisis.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act, the following definitions
shall apply:
(1) YEAR
2000
COMPUTER
PROBLEM.—The
term ‘‘Year 2000 computer problem’’ means, with
respect to information technology, any problem
which prevents such technology from accurately
processing, calculating, comparing, or sequencing
date or time data—
(A) from, into, or between—
(i) the 20th and 21st centuries; or
(ii) the years 1999 and 2000; or
(B) with regard to leap year calculations.
(2) YEAR
2000 CONVERSION COUNCIL.—The
term ‘‘Year 2000 Conversion Council’’ means the
President’s Council on Year 2000 Conversion estab-
lished under section 2 of Executive Order No.
13073, issued on February 4, 1998.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF YEAR 2000 COMPUTER
PROBLEM.
Before the end of the 90-day period beginning on the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Chairperson of the
Year 2000 Conversion Council shall submit to the Con-
gress a national assessment of the Year 2000 computer
problem covering all critical national infrastructures and
key sectors of the economy, including banking and finance,
energy, telecommunications, transportation, and vital
human services which protect the public health and safety,
water supply, and environment.
SEC. 5. NATIONAL STRATEGY TO ADDRESS YEAR 2000 COM-
PUTER PROBLEM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Consistent with the spirit of the
Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, the
Chairperson of the Year 2000 Conversion Council shall
prepare, and submit to the Congress with the assessment
required under section 4, a national strategy to ensure
that the most critical services provided by Federal, State,
and local governments as well as key sectors of the econ-
omy will be prepared for the Year 2000 date change, in-
cluding the sectors involved in the provision of banking
and financial services (especially financial services involv-
ing Federal and State payments to individuals and access
to individual transaction accounts at financial institu-
tions), the provision and distribution of power and fuel,
the provision of telecommunication and transportation
services, and the sectors which are involved in or have an
impact on the public health and safety, water supply, and
environment.
(b) PERSONNEL.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—In preparing the strategy,
the Chairperson of the Year 2000 Conversion Coun-
cil shall include a plan for ensuring the availability
of an adequate supply of technical personnel to rem-
edy the Year 2000 computer problem in the private
sector as well as the Federal Government before De-
cember 31, 1999, and, in formulating such plan,
shall make recommendations relating to any need to
raise immigrant visa ceilings under the Immigration
and Nationality Act for such purpose.
(2) CONSIDERATION OF NEED FOR FEDERAL
TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION SERVICE.—In preparing
the plan under paragraph (1), the Chairperson of
the Year 2000 Conversion Council shall—
(A) make recommendations relating to the
capacity of the Federal Government to attract
and retain individuals of high-quality tech-
nology competence;
(B) consider whether a Federal technology
information service should be established in a
form similar to the Senior Executive Service;
and
(C) submit a report on the findings and
conclusions of the Chairperson to the Congress
before the end of the 6-month period beginning
on the date of the enactment of this Act.
(c) EFFORTS AT INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTI-
TUTIONS TO SOLVE YEAR 2000 COMPUTER PROBLEM.—
In preparing the strategy, the Chairperson of the Year
2000 Conversion Council, in consultation with the Chair-
man of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System and the Secretary of the Treasury, shall include—
(1) the goals and strategies the United States
will pursue at the Bank for International Settle-
ments, the Group of Ten Industrialized Nations, the
European Union, and elsewhere to encourage an
international effort to ensure readiness for the Year
2000 at banks and other financial institutions; and
(2) the initiatives which the representatives of
the United States to the International Monetary
Fund, International Bank for Development and Re-
construction, and other international development
banks are taking to engage such institutions in pro-
viding funding or technical assistance to developing
countries for remedying the Year 2000 computer
problem in such countries.
SEC. 6. QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORTS REQUIRED.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning after the submission of
the report on the national assessment and strategy under
sections 4 and 5, the Chairperson of the Year 2000 Con-
version Council shall submit a quarterly report to the Con-
gress on the progress that has been made since the sub-
mission of the prior report in solving the Year 2000 com-
puter problem in all critical infrastructures and key sec-
tors of the economy and in developing a contingency plan.
(b) FINAL REPORT.—The final report submitted
under subsection (a) shall assess the ongoing Year 2000
and other date-related problems that will occur in the fu-
ture as temporary Year 2000 renovations lapse or other
fail dates occur in computer systems.
(c) SUNSET.—No reports shall be required under
subsection (a) after December 31, 2001.
SEC. 7. REVISION OF FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION
TO PROVIDE FOR CERTAIN PENALTIES FOR
CONTRACTORS THAT VIOLATE YEAR 2000 RE-
QUIREMENT.
In the case of any person who enters into a contract
with a Federal agency, and who knowingly provides goods
or services to the agency under the contract that are not
Year 2000 compliant (as that term is defined in section
39.002 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, as adopted
on August 22, 1997), the Federal Acquisition Regulation
may be revised to provide for an appropriate period for
which such person shall not be eligible for award of any
contract by any Federal agency. Any restrictions devel-
oped pursuant to this section may, at the discretion of the
applicable Federal agency, be waived if the new goods or
services are Year 2000 compliant.
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