S2871-118

Reported

To advance Federal Government innovation through the implementation and use of multi-cloud computing software technology, and for other purposes.

118th Congress Introduced Sep 20, 2023

Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.

Summary

What This Bill Does

This bill requires OMB to study federal multi-cloud technology adoption and develop voluntary guidelines for agencies considering multi-cloud implementations. NIST must define "multi-cloud technology" within 120 days and periodically update the definition. GAO must assess federal workforce digital skills gaps (especially in cloud procurement and management), evaluate agency technical capabilities for multi-cloud, and report on overall cloud adoption and cost-benefit analysis within 2 years. The bill explicitly authorizes no additional funding.

Who Benefits and How

Cloud computing vendors benefit from federal movement toward multi-cloud architectures, which reduces vendor lock-in and creates opportunities for multiple providers. Federal agencies benefit from best practices, cost-benefit analysis, and voluntary guidance for making informed multi-cloud decisions. The federal workforce benefits from skills gap assessments that may drive training and development investments.

Who Bears the Burden and How

OMB bears the study and guidance development workload within existing resources. GAO bears multiple reporting mandates. NIST must develop and maintain the multi-cloud definition. Incumbent single-cloud vendors may face increased competition as agencies adopt multi-cloud strategies that reduce lock-in.

Key Provisions

  • Requires OMB to study multi-cloud use, identify best practices, develop cost-benefit analysis, and compile voluntary guidance for agencies (Section 3)
  • Mandates GAO workforce skills gap assessment for cloud computing procurement and management, with training cost estimates (Section 4)
  • Requires GAO 2-year follow-up report assessing cloud adoption state, multi-cloud benefits/risks, and cost-benefit analysis (Section 5)
  • Directs NIST to define "multi-cloud technology" with stakeholder input and periodic updates (Section 6)
  • Authorizes no additional appropriations (Section 7)

Evidence Chain:

This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.

At a Glance

What This Bill Does

Directs OMB and NIST to study, develop guidelines for, and promote the voluntary adoption of multi-cloud computing technology across federal agencies, while assessing workforce readiness and technical capabilities.

Key Policy Areas

Information Technology, Federal Government Management, Cybersecurity, Federal Procurement

Primary Purpose

Directs OMB and NIST to study, develop guidelines for, and promote the voluntary adoption of multi-cloud computing technology across federal agencies, while assessing workforce readiness and technical capabilities.

Policy Domains

Information Technology Federal Government Management Cybersecurity Federal Procurement

Multi-Cloud Technology Definition

Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • Federal agencies (clear standards)
  • Cloud industry (input on definition)
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: rs

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • NIST (definition development and maintenance)
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: rs

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Multi-Cloud Technology Study and Voluntary Guidelines

Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • Cloud computing vendors (expanded market through multi-vendor strategies)
  • Federal agencies (informed decision-making)
  • Smaller cloud providers (reduced vendor lock-in barriers)
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: rs

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • OMB (study and guidance development)
  • Incumbent single-cloud vendors (potential loss of exclusive contracts)
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: rs

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Federal Workforce and Technical Capabilities Assessment

Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • Federal IT and procurement workforce (skills development attention)
  • Congress (informed oversight)
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: rs

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • GAO (reporting mandate)
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: rs

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Cloud Adoption and Implementation Review

Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • Congress (oversight)
  • Federal agencies (evidence-based guidance)
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: rs

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • GAO (reporting mandate)
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: rs

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Legislative Progress

Reported
Introduced Committee Passed
Dec 19, 2024

Reported by Mr. Peters, with an amendment

Sep 20, 2023

Mr. Daines (for himself and Ms. Rosen) introduced the following …

Sep 20, 2023

Mr. Daines (for himself, Ms. Rosen, and Mr. Peters) introduced …

Stakeholder Effects

cui bono?

How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.

Government
7 mentions across 4 clauses
+2 positive -4 negative ?1 uncertain

Congress, Federal IT and procurement workforce, Federal agencies

Positive-direction: Congress, Federal IT and procurement workforce

Negative-direction: Federal agencies, GAO, OMB / federal IT leadership

Cloud Computing & IT Services
2 mentions across 1 clause
+2 positive

Cloud computing vendors, Smaller / competing cloud providers

Education
1 mention across 1 clause
+1 positive

Cloud training and certification providers

7/12
sections analyzed
Full impact breakdown

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Information Technology Federal Government Management
Actor Mappings
"federal"
→ ['OMB Director', 'GSA Administrator', 'NIST Director', 'DHS Secretary', 'US Digital Service', 'Office of Electronic Government']
Domains
Federal Government Management Federal Procurement
Actor Mappings
"federal"
→ ['Comptroller General']
Domains
Information Technology Cybersecurity
Actor Mappings
"federal"
→ ['Comptroller General']
Domains
Information Technology
Actor Mappings
"federal"
→ ['NIST Director']

Key Definitions

Terms defined in this bill

4 terms
"" §agency

"" §cloud computing

"" §multi-cloud technology

"" §information and communications technology

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