State and local governments would be protected from lawsuits which seek damages for lapses caused by Y-2-K computer problems under a bill thatpassed the Iowa House. Representative Libby Jacobs, a Republican from West Des Moines, says the liability protection is ONLY available to government agencies which take steps to ensure their computer hardware and software is “millennium bug-free.” The bill passed on an 84 to four vote. Representative Sandra Greiner, a Republican from Keota, cited farmers’ lossof protection from so-called nuisance lawsuits. A recent Iowa Supreme Court ruling tossed out the legal protection from lawsuits which had been granted to farmers in designated “agricultural zones.” The Y-2-K bill which provides legal protection to governments now goes to the Senate.
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