WASHINGTON - Congressman David Dreier (R-CA), Chairman of the House Rules Committee and a chief sponsor of H.R. 775, the "Year 2000 Readiness and Responsibility Act," today expressed his support for a House-Senate conference committee to develop a final version of the bill. The following is Dreier's statement:

"The Year 2000 computer bug is not a political issue, it's a critical economic stability issue. Y2K liability reform is about one thing - making sure our economy stays strong. For over a year, I have personally worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, as well as a broad coalition of the private sector, to enact a targeted Y2K litigation reform bill.

"After months of work in this Congress, including some particularly arduous bipartisan negotiations in the Senate, I hope the conference committee can move quickly to find common ground between the bills passed by the House and Senate. The Rules Committee stands ready to meet early next week on a compromise package."