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Sen. Bob Bennett urges vigilance on transportation funding and Y2K risks during House visit
Summary
U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett told the Utah House that federal transportation authorization remains contested and urged state vigilance on Y2K readiness, warning of embedded-chip risks; he also discussed Olympics funding and international financial turmoil.
U.S. Senator Bob Bennett addressed the Utah House in Committee of the Whole on Jan. 23, focusing on federal transportation funding and the Year 2000 (Y2K) computer issue.
Bennett said the Senate is working toward a multi-year authorization for highway funding, but the House and Senate had reached a stalemate during the prior Congress; he warned that unresolved authorization fights could leave states uncertain about long-term planning. He described outreach to Senate appropriations leaders and said Utah had secured favorable treatment in recent Senate appropriations processes. On the upcoming Olympic games, Bennett said the federal government must be prepared to assist and pledged to press for needed federal participation and funding.
On the Y2K computer issue, Bennett, chairman of a Senate subcommittee on Technology and Financial Services, warned that embedded chips in equipment—not just software—pose serious risk, describing examples of hardware with hard-to-reach chips aboard offshore platforms and in other industrial systems. He urged the state to audit its own systems, noting a reported $40 million state budget item for Y2K preparations and encouraging committees to probe readiness.
Bennett also took questions about digital signature standards, the timing of federal transportation authorization, and the Asian financial crisis. He said a national standard for digital signatures is desirable for international commerce and cautioned that the Asian crisis would slow U.S. growth and export markets. The House thanked Senator Bennett and returned to regular session.
