I
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4706
To ensure that the United States is prepared to meet the Year 2000 computer
problem.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBER 6, 1998
Mrs. MORELLA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Science, and in addition to the Committee on Government Re-
form and Oversight, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To ensure that the United States is prepared to meet the
Year 2000 computer problem.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Year 2000 Prepared-
ness Act’’.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act—
(1) the term ‘‘Year 2000 compliant’’ has the
meaning given to such term in section 39.002 of the
Federal Acquisition Regulation (as adopted on Au-
gust 22, 1997); and
(2) the term ‘‘Year 2000 computer problem’’
means, with respect to information technology, any
problem which prevents such technology from accu-
rately processing, calculating, comparing, or se-
quencing 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.
SEC. 3. CRITICAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES.
The President shall provide for the acceleration of the
development of business continuity plans by Federal agen-
cies necessary to ensure the uninterrupted delivery by
those agencies of critical mission-related services.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that the President
should—
(1) take a high profile national leadership posi-
tion to aggressively promote Year 2000 date change
awareness for information technology systems and
sensitive infrastructure applications; and
(2) authorize the Chairperson of the President’s
Council on Year 2000 Conversion to take control of
any critical Federal agency system that is in jeop-
ardy because of ineffective management of not meet-
ing the January 1, 2000, deadline with respect to
the Year 2000 computer problem.
SEC. 5. MONTHLY REPORTS.
The Director of the Office of Management and Budg-
et shall transmit to the Congress a monthly report assess-
ing critical Federal information systems that will not, or
may not, meet the Year 2000 computer problem deadline,
and the anticipated consequences of those failures. Such
report shall include a description of the status of business
continuity plans for systems identified as being in jeop-
ardy. The Director, in consultation with the Congress,
shall establish additional reporting criteria for areas such
as embedded systems and external data exchange.
SEC. 6. AGENCY REPORTS.
All Federal agency reports to the Office of Manage-
ment and Budget relating to the Year 2000 computer
problem shall be concurrently transmitted to the Congress.
SEC. 7. GUIDELINES.
The Chairperson of the President’s Council on Year
2000 Conversion shall develop, in consultation with indus-
try, guidelines of best practices and standards for remedi-
ation and validation with respect to the Year 2000 com-