Feds may get extra Y2K day off

Feds may get extra Y2K day off

ksaldarini@govexec.com

Federal employees may get to ring in the year 2000 with an extra day off if a bill proposed by two lawmakers passes.

The bill, H.J. Res. 14, suggests making Monday, Jan. 3, 2000, an official federal holiday, changing the existing federal law that designates Friday, December 31, 1999, as the New Year holiday.

Newsweek.com reports that a task force of the President's Council on Y2K Conversion, anticipating opposition to the proposal from workers who have been counting on having Friday off, will consider proposing to give federal workers both Friday and Monday off.

Reps. John Linder, R-Ga., and David Dreier, R-Calif., introduced the new bill to provide officials an extra day to work out any Y2K glitches before the start of the work week.

"In order to provide the public and technology professionals with an additional day, prior to the start of the work week, to begin repairs on failed computer systems caused by the year 2000 computer problem, the New Year's Day holiday in the year 2000 shall be deemed to occur on January 3, 2000," the bill suggests.

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