LawSight E-Letter

'Good Samaritan' Legislation Proposed by President LawSight to Maintain Special Coverage

President Clinton made his first major domestic policy address concerning the Year 2000 computing problem in an address to the National Academy of Sciences on July 14 [click http://www.lawsight.com/presadd.htm for the full text].

Featured in the discussion was the President's intention to propose 'Good Samaritan' legislation to enhance the free exchange of Year 2000 related information.

Because of the significance of the Year 2000 issue to the business and legal community, and the potentially far-reaching affect of any 'safe harbor' legislation, LawSight will maintain special coverage of the legislation as proposed and throughout the legislative process, with special coverage of debate, amendments and the like. Should legislation be passed, LawSight will maintain a comprehensive section to discuss the legal and business issues which accompany its implementation.

In the speech, Mr. Clinton gave full credence to the seriousness of the Year 2000 problem, recognizing the breadth of the problem and its pendency a scant 535 days away, and pressed for highest priority action at all levels of business and government. In that context, the President set a government-wide goal of full compliance by March of 1999, and proposed one-time contigency fund for the US fiscal year 1999 as well as a 12 million dollar fund to assist developing countries with their own Year 2000 problems.

"Today, too many businesses are understandably reluctant to share information, fearing legal complication. We have to take prudent steps to clear away any legal barriers to effective action.

There is more we can do. This week I will propose Good Samaritan legislation to guarantee that businesses which share information about their readiness with the public or with each other, and do it honestly and carefully, cannot be held liable for the exchange of that information if it turns out to be inaccurate.

The proposed Good Samaritan law will give companies the confidence they need to ensure that they keep their customers informed. If ordinary citizens believe they're being told the full story, they'll be far less likely to act in ways that could themselves hurt our economy."

Click http://www.lawsight.com/2k.htm for further coverage of Year 2000 legal and related issues at LawSight's Year 2000 resource.

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