U.S. Chip Companies Hail Legislative Compromise on Year 2000
Disclosure Issues; Measure Will Enable Companies to Share
Information to Solve Technical Y2K Bugs
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. chip companies today
endorsed a compromise legislative plan for handling Year 2000 disclosure
issues that encourages businesses to share vital problem-solving information
about Y2K bugs, the Semiconductor Industry Association announced.
The bill enables companies to disclose technical information about
solutions for Y2K bugs without having to fear that they will get sued for
doing so. The measure provides liability protection for statements made in
good faith by companies as they try to address the technical problems posed by
Y2K.
In a letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Judiciary
Committee, the SIA and 39 other business groups urged Congress and the
Administration to approve the measure before Congress adjourns. "We believe
this bill ... will enhance Year 2000 information exchange to help improve our
nation's Y2K readiness," the letter said. "To remediate potential Year 2000
problems in the brief time remaining, it is vitally important that this
compromise proposal be adopted by the Senate and House, and signed into law,
in the next few weeks."
The compromise plan was announced today by Hatch and a bipartisan group of
Senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee. It was immediately endorsed by
John A. Koskinen, who chairs the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion.
Numerous technology groups, including Sematech, Semiconductor Equipment and
Materials International, and the Technology Network, joined the SIA in
praising the compromise.
"This compromise is a major accomplishment," said SIA President George
Scalise. "We are hopeful that the House, the Senate and the Administration
will continue to work together in a bipartisan fashion to make sure this 'Good
Samaritan' bill becomes law in 1998."
The measure, S.2329, is comparable in concept to a House bill sponsored by
Reps. David Dreier (R-CA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA). The Hatch bill is tentatively
scheduled to be taken up by the full Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
"The Y2K problem is a global challenge," Koskinen said. "To increase
their chances of overcoming the problem, organizations must be able to
exchange information about their experiences with products, their system
fixes, testing protocols, and test results. For those just getting started on
their Year 2000 efforts around the world, this information may mean the
difference between the success or failure of systems on January 1, 2000."
"It is clear that Congress cannot legislate a solution to Y2K," added Sen.
Bob Bennett (R-Utah), a cosponsor of the Senate bill. "But Congress can give
industry the tools they need to share Y2K information -- technical information
that is critical to solving Y2K problems. Without question, this legislative
compromise is essential to the continued economic well being and security of
our nation."
SOURCE Semiconductor Industry Association |
