To improve the visibility, accountability, and oversight of agency software asset management practices, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Connolly (for himself, Mr. Fallon, Mrs. McClain Delaney, and …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act requires federal agencies to conduct comprehensive assessments of all their software assets and develop plans to modernize how they manage, purchase, and use software. The bill aims to reduce wasteful spending on unused or duplicate software licenses and improve transparency in how government agencies handle their technology investments.
Who Benefits and How
Software vendors with enterprise licensing models may benefit as agencies are pushed to consolidate toward cost-effective enterprise licenses rather than piecemeal purchases. Government Accountability Office (GAO) gains expanded oversight authority, receiving reports from all agencies and producing a government-wide assessment of software management practices. Congressional oversight committees (Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, House Oversight and Accountability) receive detailed reports on agency software practices, giving them more visibility into government technology spending.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal agency Chief Information Officers and their teams face significant new compliance requirements, including conducting detailed software inventories, developing modernization plans, and submitting multiple reports to Congress and OMB within strict deadlines. Federal agencies broadly must absorb these new administrative costs from existing budgets since no additional funds are authorized. Contractors supporting software assessments face strict conflict-of-interest requirements and must maintain operational independence from agency software management.
Key Provisions
- Requires all federal agencies to complete a comprehensive software inventory within 18 months, cataloging all software entitlements, contracts, usage patterns, and costs
- Mandates development of software modernization plans focusing on consolidating licenses, eliminating duplicates, and adopting cost-effective enterprise licensing strategies
- Gives Chief Information Officers authority to restrict bureaus and programs from acquiring software without CIO approval
- Requires GAO to submit a government-wide report within 3 years comparing software management practices across agencies
- Explicitly provides no additional funding, requiring agencies to implement requirements with existing resources
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
The bill aims to enhance transparency, accountability, and oversight of agency software asset management practices by mandating comprehensive assessments, developing modernization plans, and ensuring compliance with established criteria.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Mandates agencies to develop plans for software consolidation, cost-effective acquisition strategies, and improved performance.
Directs the Comptroller General to submit a report on government-wide software asset management practices and trends.
Defines key terms such as 'Administrator', 'agency', 'cloud computing', 'software entitlement', and more.
Requires agencies to conduct comprehensive assessments of software assets, including inventory and usage.
The Act is titled the Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act.
Specifies that no additional funds are authorized for implementing the Act.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology