Congress e-mails bill to Clinton
WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislation has never traveled so quickly down
Pennsylvania Avenue. For the first time in history, Congress on Thursday e-mailed the
president a bill to sign into law. A traditional signed parchment copy of the Y2K legal
reform bill was hand-delivered afterward, just in case.
Since Clinton can't enact a law in cyberspace yet, he is expected to sign the
parchment copy the old-fashioned way.
The bill, a compromise between House and Senate versions, could save American
businesses billions of dollars in legal costs from Y2K-related lawsuits. It passed the
House July 1 by a vote of 404-24 and the Senate 81-18. Clinton has said he will sign it.
After 30 minutes of congratulating and thanking each other, a dozen Democratic
and Republican lawmakers of both houses crowded around House Speaker Dennis Hastert and
Senate President Pro Tempore Strom Thurmond as they took an electronic pen and ``signed''
the document on plastic computer screens. Sen. Spence Abraham, R-Mich., then clicked the
``Send'' button and the bill began its journey through cyberspace.
