RYAN DEBUTS NEW WEBSITE AND ANNOUNCES Y2K REPORT REVEALS MARKED IMPROVEMENT BY AGENCIES

SPRINGFIELD -- Governor George H. Ryan today released a comprehensive state agency report that shows marked improvement by state government in preparing computers and other systems for conversion to the Year 2000.

Ryan announced the creation of the state's new Year 2000 website, which features the "Year 2000 Project Monthly Status Report" detailing the system readiness of each state agency for the first quarter of 1999.

"This new report focuses less on bytes and memory jargon and more on actual compatibility and use of a computing system by an agency. It lets us see whether an agency like Revenue will be operable on January 1 without a glitch," Ryan said.

Ryan said he is pleased there was an average of 90 percent readiness factor among many vital departments such as Emergency Management, Military Affairs, Nuclear Safety, Public Aid and Revenue. He also noted that other agencies, such as the Illinois Department of Employment Security, are also making exemplary progress on converting their agencies' systems for the new year.

In April, all state agencies began reporting on the status of Y2K preparedness on a monthly basis, instead of once every three months. Those reports are reviewed by the Illinois Technology Office and Central Management Services' Year 2000 Office.

"We want to take a painstaking look at what each agency has reported to us in terms of their daily business systems, their information systems workforce status and any budgetary concerns that might hinder their compliance," said Chief Technology Officer Mary Barber Reynolds.

"In other words, we want to know how the agency works together with the community and other state agencies, and will it all work the same way at midnight on December 31 and beyond," she said.

Ryan explained that while many states and businesses report Y2K data based on the computer repair process, Illinois state agencies completed the first reports to ever require information listed by agency function. New components and measurements are being added to the reporting procedure to provide a more complete overall measure of readiness.

Agencies now are required to report on their departments' critical administrative and program functions by tier levels. Tier levels are defined by the length of interruption that can be handled by a program without endangering public health, public safety or impacting the state's revenue streams.

Ryan said further information is available by visiting the new Y2K website (www.state.il.us/y2k), which offers information to help the public prepare for the possible problems of Y2K. The state's homepage also will act as a central clearinghouse for Y2K-related information.

In March, Ryan appointed Lew Collins as Chair of his Year 2000 Preparedness Council to help lead the state's Y2K efforts and work with the Illinois Technology Office in his administration.

Ryan appointed the following members to the Council.

Chairman: Lew Collens, President, Illinois Institute of Technology

Elizabeth Boatman, Chief Information Officer, City of Chicago, from Chicago

Andrew "Flip" Filipowski, President and CEO, PLATINUM Technology International, Inc., from Wheaton

Mark L. Gordon, Managing Partner, Gordon & Glickson P.C., from Chicago

Dennis G. Grabow, CEO, Millennium Investment Corp., from Chicago

Jim Hester, President, Synfinity Technologies, Inc., from Decatur

Tim Krauskopf, Head of Information Services, The Field Museum, from Downers Grove

Tim Kuhfuss, Chief Information Officer, Director, Electronics and Computing Technologies Division, Argonne National Laboratory, from Oak Park

Mike Manley, Vice President, Director of Global Computing & Telecommunications Services and Chairperson of the Year 2000 Enterprise Council, Motorola, from Phoeniz Arizona

Felicia Norwood, Midwest Region General Counsel, Aetna U.S. Healthcare, from Chicago

Donald Rumsfeld, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense, from Chicago

Chip Shaffer, Jr., Systems Integrator/Y2K, LOGICON, A Northrup Grumman Co., from O'Fallon

Patricia Todus, Head of the Year 2000 Office, Northwestern University, from River Forrest

Dick Welton, Mayor of Gurnee, President of the Illinois Municipal League, from Gurnee

John Zaruba, DuPage County Sheriff, Initiated DuPage County Y2K Task Force, from Wheaton