REES TO SERVE AS CUSTOMSÆ Y2K LIAISON WITH SMALL BUSINESSES
U.S. Customs has appointed Joseph M. Rees, the agency’s trade ombudsman, to serve as its liaison with small businesses that experience year 2000 computer problems.
Under the 1999 Y2K Act, each executive agency of the U.S. government that has the authority to penalize small businesses is required to have a single point of contact within the agency to deal with these issues.
Small businesses are still vulnerable to Y2K-related systems. The Y2K Act says that a small business facing a penalty for a first-time violation of federal rules caused by a Y2K failure may obtain a waiver of that penalty by meeting certain requirements. One of those requirements is to report a first-time violation to the appropriate agency within five business days of the Y2K incident.
Rees may be reached at Customs’ Office of the Trade Ombudsman at (202) 927-1440.