Year 2000 Conversion

Executive Order 13073 establishes the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion to coordinate federal government efforts to prevent critical systems from failing due to the Y2K bug, where computers would misinterpret "00" as 1900 instead of 2000. The order mandates agency heads prioritize Y2K remediation, requires quarterly joint reports to the President from the Council Chair and OMB Director, and directs cooperation with state/local governments, private sector critical infrastructure operators, and foreign counterparts.

Federal Register Open PDF 63 FR 6467

Impact dates

May 5, 1998
first quarterly joint report to President from Chair and OMB Director

Key directives

Establish President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion led by Assistant to the President
Agency heads must assure highest priority attention to Y2K problem
Chair and OMB Director shall report jointly at least quarterly to President on agency progress
Agency heads must designate responsible official with authority to commit resources to Council
Chair shall identify necessary resources from agencies for policy implementation
Interagency councils shall provide assistance upon Chair's request

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

Council establishment
agency heads must designate responsible officials for Council membership
Y2K remediation receives highest priority

Near term (90d)

first quarterly joint report to President due from Chair and OMB Director
agency resource identification for Council implementation

Long term

sustained coordination through year 2000 transition
ongoing international cooperative arrangements

Risks & tensions

No enforcement mechanism or consequences specified for non-compliant agencies beyond Chair's oversight
Resource reallocation to Y2K may divert attention from other priorities; 'highest priority' claim is vague
Private sector cooperation is framed as voluntary coordination, not mandate
Judicial review disclaimer (Section 5) limits legal accountability for failures
Council effectiveness depends heavily on Chair's personal influence as Assistant to the President rather than statutory authority