Juneau -- The Alaska House of Representatives Friday unanimously passed legislation which calls for immunity for businesses from certain claims arising out of or in connection with the year 2000 date change. House Bill 82 passed on a 32-0 vote.

"The Alaska business community may have some exposure with Y2K," said Representative Norman Rokeberg (R-Anchorage), sponsor of HB 82. "Under HB 82 a civil action may not be brought against a business for damages caused directly or indirectly by a electronic computing failure in connection with Y2K, if business owners make due diligent or good faith efforts to address the Y2K problem. They deserve some protection from frivolous lawsuits."

Businesses in Alaska and across the nation face costs and exposure to lawsuits due to Y2K. The Gartner Group estimated the cost of fixing the Y2K problem in the U.S. alone at between $100 billion and $200 billion. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that attorneys will file lawsuits asking for between $1 trillion and $3 trillion in the U.S. alone.

"It is important to note that the immunity afforded by HB 82 does not apply if a person can prove that the business failed to use due diligence or good faith efforts to avoid the damages claimed in any civil suit," Rokeberg said. "Our aim here is not to protect businesses from the consequences of poor judgement or poor performance. The aim is to protect them from lawsuits coming in response to factors beyond their control.

"We should be focusing on curing this problem, not clogging the courts and enriching a segment of the legal community," Rokeberg said.

HB 82 now moves to the Senate.

Broadcasters note: Audio comments are available on the Majority Actuality line, 1-800-478-6540
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