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Congress, White House agree on Y2K liability bill
June 29, 1999 WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, June 29) -- Settling a potentially troublesome political and legal issue, Congress and the Clinton Administration have reached an agreement on legislation to limit lawsuits stemming from the so-called Y2K computer bug. White House Chief of Staff John Podesta said Tuesday that, after working out last-minute issues, he was ready to recommend that President Bill Clinton sign the legislation. The business community and high tech groups have backed the bill, which they said could save them from being besieged by billions of dollars in lawsuits from Y2K-related computer problems. Some Democrats were concerned that Republicans would make significant inroads in the high-tech community if a Y2K liability agreement was not reached. Clinton had voiced support for legal protections but had threatened to veto the bills coming out of the House and Senate because he said they did too little to protect consumer interests. There also were significant divisions in Congress over the limits on punitive damages included in various Y2K bills, with critics claiming the limits were part of a larger attempt establish limits on a variety of lawsuits. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., who with Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., acted as a liaison between congressional Republicans and the White House on the issue, said he was on the phone with Clinton at 1 a.m. today to discuss progress in the talks. There were "enormous evolutions" in the bill from its beginnings in Congress early this year, said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the chief Senate sponsor of the measure. "It's probably more negotiations than I have ever gone through." Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., who authored the tougher House bill, said the final product had been "watered down," but he also said the White House "made significant movement over the last 24 hours." The bill would give companies 90 days to fix computers before lawsuits could be filed and would encourage mediation efforts. It also would cap punitive damages for small businesses and ensure that in most cases defendants would be held liable for only that share of the damage they caused. In one of the last issues worked out in the negotiations, the monetary threshold for a class action lawsuit was raised from $1 million to $10 million. The sponsors said they hope to get the compromise bill through the House and Senate this week so it can be presented to the president before Congress leaves at the end of the week for its July 4 recess. The Associated Press contributed to this report. MORE STORIES:Tuesday, June 29, 1999
• Transcript: Clinton announces Medicare rescue plan • Independent counsel law fades into history • Congress, White House agree on Y2K liability bill • Agency backing tough draft rules for special counsel removal • What Medicare reform means to you • Conservative group preparing to sue over Hillary Clinton travel • Pataki pays up in bet with Bush • Idaho congresswoman to marry opponent of federal land control • Kasich wants to debate Social Security - but only with Forbes • Analysis: Clinton, Congress have own agendas • 25 years later, Jerry Brown is much the same • Bush heads to California in quest for cash • First lady scopes New York real estate as president raises money |
