Pennsylvania: The State of Readiness
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge announced that four other governors have joined him in signing a proclamation to promote broad public awareness of the Year 2000 computer challenge within their states and to encourage cooperative information sharing between them.Joining Governor Ridge in signing the proclamation are: Governor John Engler, Michigan; Governor James Gilmore III, Virginia; Governor Christine Todd Whitman, New Jersey; and Governor Thomas Carper, Delaware."The impact of the Year 2000 computer ‘bug’ does not stop at a state’s borders," Governor Ridge said. "We are all better served by working in unison to alert our citizens to this threat and to share information on the progress we are making."I’m pleased that Pennsylvania could lead this effort to encourage the exchange of accurate information within our region, and I hope that other states will join us as proactive Y2K partners."Work on the proclamation began, following a summit of utility and telecommunications regulatory officials from nine states co-hosted by the Ridge Administration and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission in Hershey, Pennsylvania this past December. The summit highlighted the need for coordinated action to address potential Year 2000 impacts shared between neighboring states.At that time, chief information officers from the five signing states raised the idea of developing a proclamation to encourage broader regional information sharing on the Y2K problem.According to the new Year 2000 pact, the five governors agree to make concerted efforts to resolve the date-change problem within their respective states; to engage in Y2K public awareness activities; to work to promote intrastate and interstate cooperation on the Year 2000 problem; and to encourage the exchange of accurate information on Y2K progress in each of their states.The signed proclamation has been presented to Governor Carper, chairman of the National Governors’ Association, for consideration by other states. Pennsylvania state government has been recognized frequently by Year 2000 experts as a national Year 2000 leader. More information on the state’s Year 2000 progress can be found on Pennsylvania’s homepage at www.state.pa.us under "Technology Initiatives", and at the Pa2K Web site providing Year 2000 informational materials at www.Pa2K.org.