105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4756
AN ACT
To ensure that the United States is prepared to
meet the Year 2000 computer problem.
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4756
AN ACT
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 of 1998’’.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act—
(1) the term ‘‘end-to-end testing’’ means testing
data exchange software with respect to—
(A) the initiation of the exchange by send-
ing computers;
(B) transmission through intermediate
communications software and hardware; and
(C) receipt and acceptance by receiving
computers;
(2) the term ‘‘small and medium-sized busi-
nesses’’ means businesses with less than 500 em-
ployees;
(3) the term ‘‘Year 2000 compliant’’ means,
with respect to information technology, that the in-
formation technology accurately processes (including
calculating, comparing, and sequencing) date and
time data from, into, and between the 20th and 21st
centuries and the years 1999 and 2000, and leap
year calculations, to the extent that other informa-
tion technology properly exchanges date and time
data with it;
(4) 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;
(B) with regard to leap year calculations;
or
(C) with regard to such other dates as the
Year 2000 Conversion Council may identify and
designate; and
(5) the term ‘‘Year 2000 Conversion Council’’
means the President’s Council on Year 2000 Conver-
sion established under section 2 of Executive Order
No. 13073, issued on February 4, 1998;
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 THE CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) the President should take a high profile na-
tional leadership position to aggressively promote
Year 2000 date change awareness for information
technology systems and sensitive infrastructure ap-
plications;
(2) the President should authorize the Chair of
the Year 2000 Conversion Council to take a leader-
ship role in resolving Year 2000 issues in any criti-
cal Federal civilian 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;
(3) consistent with the spirit of the Government
Performance and Results Act of 1993, the Chair of
the Year 2000 Conversion Council, in consultation
with the President’s Council on Infrastructure As-
surance, officers of the Federal Government and of
State and local governments, and representatives of
the private sector, should work toward a national
strategy to assure that the critical infrastructures
and key sectors of the economy will be prepared for
the Year 2000 date change, with such strategy in-
cluding, for each sector, goals appropriate to each;
(4) the Chair of the Year 2000 Conversion
Council is making a significant contribution to Year
2000 computer problem awareness by scheduling a
National Y2K Action Week for October 19 through
23, 1998;
(5) the Small Business Administration, the De-
partment of Commerce, the Department of Agri-
culture, and other appropriate Federal agencies
should undertake maximum efforts to assist Amer-
ican family businesses and farmers in assessing their
exposure to the Year 2000 computer problem, un-
dertaking the necessary remedial steps, and formu-
lating contingency plans; and
(6) State and local governments, as well as pri-
vate sector industry groups and companies, should
find ways to participate in this effort to prepare the
American economy for the year 2000.
SEC. 5. 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,
including all Federal agency monthly submissions to the
Office of Management and Budget.
SEC. 6. GUIDELINES.
The Chair of the Year 2000 Conversion Council is
encouraged to develop, in consultation with industry,
guidelines of best practices and standards for remediation
and validation with respect to the Year 2000 computer
problem to provide better direction for government and
private sector efforts.
SEC. 7. NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF YEAR 2000 COMPUTER
PROBLEM.
The Chair of the Year 2000 Conversion Council shall
submit to the Congress any national assessment of the
Year 2000 computer problem, conducted through or in
conjunction with the Year 2000 Conversion Council, cover-
ing all critical national infrastructures and key sectors of
the economy, including banking and finance, energy, tele-
communications, transportation, and vital human services
which protect the public health and safety, the water sup-
ply, housing and public buildings, and the environment.
SEC. 8. FEDERAL AGENCY ACTIONS.
To ensure that all computer operations and process-
ing can be provided without interruption by Federal agen-
cies after December 31, 1999, the head of each Federal
agency shall—
(1) take actions necessary to ensure that all
systems and hardware administered by the agency
are Year 2000 compliant, to the extent necessary to
ensure that no significant disruption of the oper-
ations of the agency or of the agency’s data ex-
change partners occurs, including—
(A) establishing, before March 1, 1999,
schedules for testing and implementing new
data exchange formats for completing all data
exchange corrections, which may include na-
tional test days for end-to-end testing of critical
processes and associated data exchanges affect-
ing Federal, State, and local governments;
(B) notifying data exchange partners of
the implications to the agency and the exchange
partners if they do not make appropriate date
conversion corrections in time to meet the Fed-
eral schedule for implementing and testing Year
2000 compliant data exchange processes;
(C) giving priority to installing filters nec-
essary to prevent the corruption of mission-crit-
ical systems from data exchanges with non-
compliant systems; and
(D) developing and implementing, as part
of the agency’s continuity and contingency plan-
ning efforts, specific provisions for data ex-
changes that may fail, including strategies to
mitigate operational disruptions if data ex-
change partners do not make timely date con-
version corrections;
(2) beginning not later than 30 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, convene meetings
at least quarterly with representatives of the agen-
cy’s data exchange partners to assess implementa-
tion progress; and
(3) after each meeting convened pursuant to
paragraph (2), transmit to the Congress a report
summarizing—
(A) the results of that meeting; and
(B) the status of the agency’s completion
of key data exchange corrections, including the
extent of data exchange inventoried, an assess-
ment of data exchange formats agreed to with
data exchange partners, testing and implemen-
tation schedules, and testing and implementa-
tion completed.
SEC. 9. ASSISTANCE FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSI-
NESSES.
To ensure that the Nation’s small and medium-sized
businesses are prepared to meet the Year 2000 computer
problem challenge, the National Institute of Standards
and Technology, in conjunction with the Small Business
Administration, shall develop a Year 2000 compliance out-
reach program to assist small and medium-sized busi-
nesses. Such program shall include—
(1) the development of a Year 2000 self-assess-
ment checklist;
(2) an explanation of the Year 2000 computer
problem and an identification of best practices for
resolving the problem;
(3) a list of Federal Government Year 2000 in-
formation resources; and
(4) a list of Year 2000 compliant products pro-
vided by the General Services Administration.
SEC. 10. CONSUMER AWARENESS.
To ensure that the Nation’s consumers are aware of
and prepared to meet the Year 2000 computer problem
challenge, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Tech-
nology, in consultation with the Consumer Product Safety
Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, shall de-
velop a Year 2000 consumer awareness program to assist
the public in becoming aware of the implications of the
Year 2000 computer problem. Such program shall in-
clude—
(1) the development of a Year 2000 self-assess-
ment checklist;
(2) a list of Federal Government Year 2000
computer problem information resources;
(3) a list of Year 2000 compliant products pro-
vided by the General Services Administration;
(4) a series of public awareness announcements
or seminars on the impact of the Year 2000 com-
puter problem on consumer products and services;
and
(5) a series of public awareness announcements
or seminars on the potential effect that the Year
2000 computer problem could have on the provision
of services by the Federal Government to the public,
and the progress made in resolving the problem by
the Federal agencies providing those services.
Passed the House of Representatives October 13,
1998.
Attest:
Clerk.