It gives an overview of the Year 2000 situation in each of those seven sectors and then dissects each to further discuss major initiatives and readiness, exposing vulnerabilities in nearly every area.īennett calls the report a work in progress. And I said, 'If we do nothing else in the committee, we are going to become a repository of accurate information about this problem.' "īennett said the report is the most comprehensive ever undertaken on the state of readiness in seven sectors, including the utility, health care, transportation and financial industries. "There was no repository of hard data about Y2K. "The thing that was most frustrating about this in the beginning, and it's still frustrating to a lesser degree, is that there was no place you could go to find out what was going on," Bennett said. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) delivered a comprehensive report assessing the impact of the problem. And in March, less than a year after taking over as chairman of the special committee, Bennett and vice chairman Sen. He sponsored a successful bill to make it easier for companies to share information about the bug. And, of course, he has been active on the Hill. He was an early supporter of the appointment of a Year 2000 czar, and he spearheaded an international conference on Year 2000 that took place in Brussels, Belgium, last December. Since being named chairman of the special committee last year, Bennett has spoken about the issue to the National Press Club and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, to name a few. He prefers people to view him more as a Paul Revere-gallant and sincere-rather than a Chicken Little. In the past year, Bennett, who admits he has become obsessed with the Year 2000 computer problem, has been sounding the alarm more proactively than just about any other member of Congress. On "The McLaughlin Group," the fast-paced political talk show, host John McLaughlin asked the question and seemed to want to add, "Give me the answer quickly so I can cut to a commercial." Bennett tried, but the mild-mannered Republican from Utah finds it extremely difficult to deliver his response to the complicated question in anything that resembles a sound bite. He is asked that question all the time-from other members of Congress, constituents, commentators and clergymen. Robert Bennett, chairman of the Senate's Special Committee on the Year 2000 Computer Problem, is a logical one.
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