Senator says Y2K compliance is not risk free

In his second appearance last week at the National Press Club, Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah) said yesterday that American businesses and the federal government, even if they believe their computer systems are Year 2000-compliant, should still cross their fingers.

Bennett, chairman of the Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem, said being Year 2000-compliant generally does not mean there will be no problems. Rather, he said, it means those systems may experience some minor glitches that can be fixed within 72 hours.

"If you say you are Year 2000-compliant, that means that problems will be few,'' Bennett said. "How many systems and how long [we will experience problems] depends on how much remediation you've done.''

Since April 1998, Bennett's committee has held more than 30 hearings, gathered testimony from 150 witnesses and amassed a repository of information on Year 2000 and its probable effects on the federal government and the private sector.

In March the committee released a 164-page report about the impact of the Year 2000 computer problem. A new report is set for release this month.

Because of their involvement with the Year 2000 problem, Bennett and Sen. Christopher Dodd, (D-Conn.), co-chairman of the Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem, were invited to the National Press Club to discuss their thoughts on the status of the Year 2000 computer problem in the federal government and in the private sector.

"We are in very good shape here at home with respect to Year 2000,'' Dodd said. "We are in a lot better shape than I think either of us would have predicted.''

Despite the optimism, Dodd said he is still concerned about the health care industry and the international community. "There are some medical devices that are still vulnerable,'' Dodd said. "The medical devices still worry me.''