Government Executive - Authors - Stephanie Lash

SSA reiterates its readiness for Y2K

Stephanie Lash — Wed, 22 Dec 1999 00:00:00 -0500

The Social Security Administration touted its Y2K readiness in October 1998, and on Tuesday top officials reconfirmed that the agency does not expect any problems during the date changeover.

SSA Commissioner Kenneth Apfel said that those beneficiaries scheduled to receive payments Jan. 3 would receive them as expected.

The agency was the first in the federal government to complete its Y2K preparedness, having spent 10 years working on the problem. John Koskinen, the Clinton Administration's Y2K czar, commended the agency for fixing its own systems and for leading a cross-agency movement to complete Y2K-readiness actions. SSA has worked closely with the Treasury Department, Federal Reserve and Postal Service to ensure that all benefits will be received as planned.

"Fortunately, we began early and finished early," Apfel said.

Now the agency is gearing up for its watch during the date changeover. SSA will operate its own Y2K command center out of its Baltimore headquarters and will link to the Information Coordination Center in Washington, DC, to monitor potential problems. Moments before the clock strikes midnight, the Baltimore data center will switch to special generators until it receives notification from the power company that it can switch back to its traditional electric source.

The agency also has mapped out a schedule of testing its systems starting seconds into the new year. Building infrastructure, telecommunications networks, a nationwide toll-free telephone number, software and hardware will be tested at specific intervals Jan. 1 to ensure their functionality. Additionally, the agency has developed an extensive contingency plan for errors and will have checks available to its field offices for emergency funds.

And after involving 700 programmers, hundreds of federal workers, a decade and $48.3 million, agency officials say they are confident they will ring in the New Year with success. "The bottom line is that we're ready," Apfel said.

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Clinton says Y2K bug won't plague agencies

Bara Vaida and Stephanie Lash — Thu, 11 Nov 1999 00:00:00 -0500

President Clinton for the first time personally assured the United States that there would be no major national computer breakdowns when the clock turns to the Year 2000.

Clinton's statement followed the administration's release of the fourth and final quarterly report on the progress that government and companies have made in fixing the Y2K bug in their computer systems. The report shows that 99 percent of all critical computer federal systems, such as traffic control and Social Security payrolls, will be working without a problem into the next millennium.

"The report shows that our hard work in this country is paying off. I expect we will experience no major national breakdowns as a result of the Year 2000 date change... I am confident the Y2K problem... will not put the savings or the safety of the American people at risk," he said at the White House Tuesday morning.

Not every computer system, however, is expected to be glitch-free. The administration in its report said that while "vital industries," like finance, power, transportation, telecommunications, oil and gas are expected to make a smooth transition into the new year, others, such as small businesses, health care and education are being admonished to develop contingency plans for expected failures.

A survey of over 2,700 "911" call centers found that seven report they will not be prepared by January. And the Department of Housing and Urban Development found that as of an August survey, 30 percent of public housing providers will be unable to receive subsidies from HUD.

"I say to these groups, don't just sit back and wait for problems to occur," Clinton said.

Outside the United States, Clinton said most of the nation's major trading partners "are in good shape" but there are still concerns about Y2K preparations in developing countries. He said the State Department is keeping track of the developing nations' status and will post their state of Y2K readiness.

"If we work together and use this time well, we can ensure that this Y2K computer problem will be remembered as the last headache of the 20th century, not the first crisis of the 21st," Clinton said.

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States to feds: Back off

Stephanie Lash — Thu, 01 Jul 1999 00:00:00 -0400

Jumping into the gaping rift that lies between the states and federal government, representatives from four major local government organizations took to Capitol Hill Wednesday to argue that the federal government has preempted states' rights on a host of issues, including the Telecommunications Act and the Internet Tax Freedom Act.

Spokesmen from the National Governor's Association, National League of Cities, National Conference of State Legislatures and National Association of Counties appeared before the House Government Reform subcommittee and distributed a list of nearly 20 bills that they say preempted state and local authority.

NCSL spokesman Frank Shafroth said that number is steadily rising, and noted that there are more instances of preemption in the deregulation and technology arenas.

"The whole issue of the Internet raises hard questions," Shafroth said. "It transcends boundaries and so it's a powerful force for preemption."

Clarence Anthony, NLC representative and mayor of South Bay, Fla., held up the Internet Tax Freedom Act as the prime example of a problem for local governments. "[It] impedes states' and local governments' ability to tax sales and service over the Internet in the same manner as all other sales and services are taxed-despite the fact that no such limitations would apply to the federal government," Anthony said.

The groups voiced their support of the Federalism Act, H.R. 2245, a bipartisan bill that establishes guidelines for legislative and executive branch actions before they preempt local governments.

State Representative Daniel T. Blue, Jr., D-N.C., County Commissioner Javier M. Gonzales, D-Sante Fe County, N.M., and NGA Executive Director Raymond C. Scheppach also testified in support of the legislation, mirrored in the Senate with S. 1214, the Federalism Accountability Act of 1999.

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Y2K czar takes message to kids

Stephanie Lash — Fri, 23 Apr 1999 00:00:00 -0400

John Koskinen rushed to his morning meeting Thursday, toting a fuzzy yellow stuffed animal named "Earl" and his ubiquitous millennium countdown clock in the hopes he could entertain the crowd of 25 with props.

It may have been his smallest audience yet-not in numbers, but in height.

Before a backdrop of homework assignments and a poster regaling the wonders of photosynthesis, Koskinen, chair of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion, spread his preparedness message to a group of 12-year-old seventh graders at Gunston Middle School in Arlington, VA. The visit came as the council unveiled a free, on-line Y2K lesson plan for teachers of grades 6-12.

The "Teaching Y2K" curriculum was designed by the Council in partnership with The New York Times Newspaper in Education Program and is aimed at educating kids about the issue and what they can do to prepare.

"Often the kids are the most computer literate person in their families," said Jack Gribben, council spokesman, adding that they hoped the students would go home and teach their families what they learned.

Koskinen fielded questions such as "Will the bombs go off by mistake?" and "If I unplug my computer, can I stop the bug?" In turn, he queried the students about their greatest Y2K concerns, and received answers ranging from the stock market to the potential loss of computer games.

Enrichment teacher Linda Allen, who was contacted to host the event, came in on her day off so her class could hear the lesson. Although she was in the middle of teaching "Hamlet," she has taken a few days to explore the Y2K issue, assigning students to read articles listed on the Koskinen panel's Web site.

The students aren't panicked, Allen said, but the visit has sparked their interests. On Wednesday, the class held a spirited discussion about the potential problem.

"Usually for most twelve-year-olds, 'Do my shoes match?, How do I look today?' is a bigger problem," she said.

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