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Executive Order 99-01
January 21, 1999
WHEREAS, the Static of Rhode Island and its citizens are dependent upon the accurate and reliable performance of computer systems and technology to provide vital public services; and
WHEREAS, many computer systems (including software and hardware) and other systems and devices containing internal controllers or processors (collectively "systems") are unable to process correctly data containing daces after December 31, 1999; and
WHEREAS, such inability, which is called the "Year 2000" or "Y2K" problem, requires corrective action involving the expenditure of substantial time, effort and resources by state government and private industry so as co make such systems Year 2000 compliant; and
WHEREAS, by Executive Order 97-1, I directed the establishment of a Year 2000 Task Force to report on the scope of the problem by June 30, 1997; and
WHEREAS, departments, agencies, authorities, commissions and boards of state government (collectively "departments") working in cooperation with the Chief Information Officer have made substantial progress in remediating chose systems related to the fulfillment of statutory requirements, and those systems chat perform important departmental operations and Chose systems thac serve Co maincain the public health, safety and welfare ("mission critical systems"); and
WHEREAS, this progress muse continue in order to ensure Year 2000 compliance; and
WHEREAS, the successful completion of cnis task is vital to the continuing operations of the government, to the provision of important services to the citizens of Rhode Island and generally to the public health, safety and welfare; and
WHEREAS, contingency planning is a critical component of the successful completion of these efforts and requires a coordinated approach by all departments of the state government; and
WHEREAS, comprehensive testing of all systems and independent validation and verification ("IV&V") of mission critical systems are important steps in ensuring Year 2000 compliance; and
WHEREAS, departments must confirm that their critical suppliers and vendors (including entities with which they exchange dates electronically) are or will be Year 2000 compliant; and
WHEREAS, it is critical tc establish a comprehensive plan for the successful completion of this work during 1999.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, LINCOLN C. ALMOND, by the virtue of the power vested in me as Governor of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, do hereby order as follows:
1. Each director or other chief executive officer of each department (hereafter "director") shall formally designate a Y2K team for the department, including representatives from information technology, finance, operations and management, which team shall report directly to the director.
2. Each team shall endeavor to achieve the following goals for the resolution of departmental Y2K issues within the time frames provided:
Task Mission Critical Systems Other Systems Remediation 6/30/99 8/31/99 Testing 8/15/99 9/30/99 Develop Contingency Plans 7/31/99 8/31/99 Confirm Vendor/Supplier Compliance 6/30/99 6/30/99 IV&V 9/15/99 N/A
Testing shall include the simulation of operations of the systems as they will be used after December 31, 1959, including sufficient data with dates before and after December 31, 1999 to ensure comprehensiveness.
3. Each team shall, on or before January 31, 1999, submit a written report Co the director and to the CIO updating the department's prior report(s) as to the current status of the efforts to achieve Y2K compliance and the other tasks listed above for all systems.within the department, including the preparation of appropriate contingency plans and confirmation of vendor and supplier compliance - Each such report shall include the numbers of programs which have successfully completed each of the casks above.
4. The CIO shall, on or before February 15, 1999, in cooperation with the Year 2000 Task Force, review departmental reports and approve reasonable variances from the schedule provided above, where necessary, so long as she receives reasonable assurance from the director thai the Casks will be achieved in time to avoid any Y2K-related system failures.
5. On March 15, 1999 and monthly thereafter each Y2K team shall report to its director the status of its Y2K remediation efforts, comparing its progress on the casks listed above during the past month and overall with the schedule provided above and any variances in the schedule for the department approved by the CIO. The report shall include such additional information which the CIO may reasonably request and a copy of the report, signed by the director, shall be filed with the CIO.
6. The CIO shall summarize the monthly reports including the identification of any non-reporting departments and shall provide copies of each such summary to the Governor and shall make it available to the public on the State's Y2K web site.
7. Directors shall, to the maximum extent possible, defer until after January 1, 2000 the purchase or upgrade of computer systems that are not Y2K related.
8. Directors shall, to the extent consister-t with the mandates of law, defer the adoption of new or amended regulations after June 30, lQa9 until March 31, 2000 if such regulations would require the department, citizens of the State'"' or regulated entities to upgrade, modify or otherwise change computer programs and ooerations.
9. The chief executive officer of all public and quasi-public bodies of the state or any political subdivision thereof which are not subject to the mandates of this Executive Order, including each city and town in Rhode Island, are encouraged to adopt measures similar to those contained in this Executive Order to ensure that the vital services provided to the citizens of Rhode Island will continue uninterrupted.
10. Departments and state employees shall cooperate fully with the CIO who shall have the authority to define terms and to specify schedules, procedures, and forms to implement this Executive Order.
This Executive Order shall take effect immediately upon the date hereof.
So Ordered:
Lincoln Almond
Governor