Latest Government Agency Report Card--(We'll see if GAO backs up the agencies on their reporting or rats them out.)
house.gov
Read the report at:
house.gov
The Progress of the Executive Branch
in Meeting the Year 2000 (Y2K) Problem
by Stephen Horn, Chairman
Subcommittee on Government Management,
Information, and Technology
Committee on Government Reform
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Representative Stephen Horn, R-CA, Chairman of the House
Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology, today
released the first set of grades of 1999 on the Federal Government's progress
toward solving the Year 2000 computer problem. Mr. Horn made the following
statement upon releasing the grades:
"In exactly 312 days, we will know whether the billions of dollars the Federal
Government is spending to fix the vexing computer challenge of the Year 2000 has
been wisely spent.
"Although the problem of converting these systems to the year 2000 was
recognized long ago, its lack of attention inside and outside the Federal
Government has turned this manageable problem into a potential crisis.
"As most of you know, I and the other members and staff of the Subcommittee on
Government Management, Information, and Technology have been sounding the Year
2000 alarm within the Executive branch of the Federal Government for the past
three years, prodding agencies to begin the complex process of fixing their
computer systems. With few exceptions the Social Security Administration being
one very few listened. But now, as we near the date of January 1, 2000, that
malaise has awakened into a frenzied burst of activity.
"Today, I am releasing our seventh report card on the Federal Government's
progress, based on each agency's self-reported information.
"Our able subcommittee staff and an excellent team from the General Accounting
Office have followed up with various agencies when we were dubious concerning
the data.
"Many agencies have made truly remarkable progress in bringing their
mission-critical computer systems into Year 2000 compliance. Nevertheless, the
overall Federal Government earned only a "C+" this quarter. Certainly, that is
an improvement over the previous three quarters, when it garnered an "F" and two
"D's." But a "C+" is disappointing, considering the noteworthy accomplishments
of most Federal departments and agencies.
"Six organizations lowered an otherwise stellar grade to mediocrity. But
together, these agencies the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Health and
Human Services, State, and Transportation, and the Agency for International
Development are responsible for more than 50 percent of all mission-critical
computer systems in the Federal Government.
"Our concerns about these agencies are plentiful. For example, last December the
Department of Defense reported that 81 percent of its mission-critical systems
were Year 2000 compliant. But in the department's quarterly report this month,
officials stated that only 72 percent were compliant. Either the department has
a serious internal communications problem, or it has taken a very big step
backward in its Year 2000 efforts. Either way, the situation is alarming. Today,
DOD's biggest battle is fixing its own computer systems.
"The Department of Transportation is moving toward January 1 at a snail's pace,
with only 53 percent of its systems Year 2000 compliant. This quarter, the
department reported a miserable two percent increase in progress. At that rate,
the "T" in DOT means "trouble" not "transportation." The Federal Aviation
Administration's antiquated air traffic control system is a significant part of
the problem. Its progress rate makes the horse and buggy look like rapid
transit.
"The Department of Health and Human Services has made significant progress in
its Year 2000 compliance. But we remain deeply concerned over the Health Care
Financing Administration's problem with external data exchanges. Millions of our
most vulnerable citizens the elderly and the ill depend on this agency's ability
to function, whether the year is 1999 or 2000.
"Within Health and Human Services, there is also another area of concern: the
less visible Payment Management System. This system processes about $170 billion
a year in Federal grants and other payment services, yet this major computer
system is not Year 2000 compliant.
"The Department of State remains mired in the Jeffersonian era of quills and
scrolls, and flickering candlelight. Although the department increased its
compliance rate by 25 percent this quarter, only 61 percent of its systems are
Year 2000 compliant. A lot of work remains, and time is running short.
"Finally, there is the Agency for International Development (AID), which was
recently adopted by the Department of State. AID remains buried at the bottom of
our grade pool. That small agency has only seven mission-critical systems.
However, not one of them is Year 2000 compliant. Given its current progress, we
aren't sure which millenium this agency is targeting for compliance. Agency
officials, of course, disagree. They report that the work will be completed by
September 1999. Don't count on it.
"Now here is the good news.
"Nine Federal agencies will soon join the Social Security Administration and
Small Business Administration in becoming 100 percent Year 2000 compliant. And
we anticipate that they will do it in time to meet President Clinton's March 31,
1999, deadline for compliance. That is less than six weeks away. These agencies
have allowed themselves time for the next major step in meeting this computer
challenge: end-to-end testing of all integrated systems. While all are expected
to have Year 2000 compliant software systems in place next month, the seven
agencies that earned "A-minuses" missed being 100 percent compliant during this
quarter. Nevertheless, all are to be congratulated for some outstanding work.
"Five agencies worthy of note have improved their mission-critical compliance
rate by 30 percent or more during this quarter.
"Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson has fired up his department, resulting in a
35 percent leap in Energy's Year 2000 readiness. Of the agency's 420
mission-critical systems, 357 are reported to be compliant.
"Similarly, the Department of Justice, which in November had only 54 percent of
its mission-critical systems ready for the new millenium, now has 86 percent of
the work completed.
"This quarter has seen impressive progress by the Office of Personnel
Management, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Department of Health and
Human Services despite continuing problems within the latter's Health Care
Financing Administration.
"In a nutshell, that's the bad and the good. But is only the first part of the
Year 2000 compliance process. As Federal agencies move toward the next phase of
end-to-end testing, the subcommittee will also redirect its focus toward this
multiple-system process.
"We must begin a closer examination of state, local, and international computer
systems that transfer information into our Federal systems. At the moment, there
simply is not enough information about any of these entities to determine
whether they will interface with Federal computers, or whether they will pose a
serious risk.
"In conclusion, despite a lingering skepticism in some realms, I assure you: The
Year 2000 problem is real; its consequences are serious; and the deadline
remains unstoppable.
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