Clinton urges Congress to act quickly on Y2000 bill

President Clinton has asked US Congress to waste no time in passing legislation unveiled this week that would allow companies…

President Clinton has asked US Congress to waste no time in passing legislation unveiled this week that would allow companies to share information about fixing computers unable to handle dates beginning with year 2000.

"I urge Congress to act quickly to approve this critical legislation before the end of the session so I can sign it into law," Mr Clinton said in a statement. "If it is not enacted this session, we will miss an important opportunity to help our nation prepare its computer systems for the new millennium."

The legislation is intended to help break the silence by businesses and others and encourage greater disclosure of plans to wipe out the millennium bug. The bill would not provide liability protection for failures that may arise from year 2000 problems.