A bipartisan group of House lawmakers reintroduced legislation on Thursday to streamline software purchasing across the Federal government and reduce unnecessary costs.
Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., ranking member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Committee, Pat Fallon, R-Texas, April McClain Delaney, D-Md., and Nancy Mace, R-S.C., chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, introduced the Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets (SAMOSA) Act.
The bill would require Federal agencies to create a comprehensive software inventory and undergo an independent assessment of software license management practices and contracts.
Agency chief information officers (CIOs) would be required to develop a plan to adopt enterprise licensing agreements, with the goal of improving negotiating power with software vendors and reducing costs.
“The SAMOSA Act is a critical step toward ensuring that Federal agencies manage their software assets with the same rigor and accountability we expect in the private sector,” Rep. Connolly said. “By improving transparency, reducing duplication, and leveraging enterprise licensing, we can save taxpayer dollars and modernize our IT infrastructure in a smart, strategic way.”
“The SAMOSA Act is a smart, bipartisan step to bring transparency, accountability, and common sense to Federal IT spending,” added Rep. Mace. “Taxpayers deserve better than duplicative licenses and bloated contracts – they deserve a government that actually knows what it’s buying.”
The SAMOSA Act also tasks the Office of Management and Budget with publishing a strategy for software modernization, based on the agency assessments and CIOs’ plan. Federal agencies would also be required to include their plans and performance assessments in their annual budget submissions.
The bill previously passed the House in December 2024 during the 118th Congress. Former Pennsylvania Rep. Matt Cartwright introduced the bill in March 2023, and it was backed by 20 cosponsors.
Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., also introduced a Senate companion bill in March 2023. The Senate version of the bill advanced through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in May 2023, but it failed to make it to the Senate floor for a final vote.
“The reintroduction of the SAMOSA Act will not only improve efficiency and reduce unnecessary costs, but will also strengthen our cybersecurity assets,” said Rep. Fallon. “This bill takes a common sense approach to reduce wasteful government spending by requiring Federal agencies to assess their software assets and eliminate redundancies. Its passage would be a crucial step in ensuring that our government operates in a more effective and transparent manner.”
The SAMOSA Act is supported by the Coalition for Fair Software Licensing, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, NetChoice, the Alliance for Digital Innovation, OpenPolicy, and the Software & Information Industry Association. These organizations sent a letter to House leadership on Thursday in support of the legislation.
The reintroduction of the SAMOSA Act comes a week after President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) that aims to consolidate Federal contracting under the General Services Administration (GSA), including IT contracts.
The order notes that Federal agencies have independently purchased software, leading to inefficiencies and pricing inconsistencies. Through the EO, the White House hopes to achieve similar goals of reducing duplication and saving taxpayer dollars.
