H.R. 2417 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Mar 27, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryFederal agencies must track and manage software spending
The government buys and uses a lot of software, but agencies often don't have a clear picture of what they own or what it costs. This bill requires every federal agency and intelligence organization to inventory all their software—including what they've paid for, what they're using, and any hidden fees—and then create a plan to buy smarter and share licenses better. Within two years, the Office of Management and Budget has to recommend new rules for how the whole government should handle software purchases.
How it affects you
You won't see a direct change in your daily life, but this affects federal employees and the agencies they work for. Better software management could eventually mean the government wastes less taxpayer money on duplicate licenses and overpaying for software, though the bill itself is about requiring agencies to get organized rather than about immediate savings or changes you'd notice right away.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Mar 27, 2025)
Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act
This bill requires federal agencies and Intelligence Community (IC) elements to assess their software inventory and develop software management plans.
The bill requires each agency and each IC element to complete a comprehensive assessment of the software paid for by, in use at, or deployed throughout the agency or element. The assessment must include information such as (1) the current inventory of software; (2) contracts and other arrangements used to acquire, build, deploy, or use the software; (3) costs and fees not included in the initial contract or agreement; and (4) the interoperability of the software and restrictions on its use.
Each agency and IC element must use their assessment to develop a plan to consolidate software entitlements, develop procedures for cost-effective acquisition strategies, and restrict subordinate entities from using any software entitlement without approval. (A software entitlement is software that has been purchased, leased, or licensed by or billed to an agency and that is subject to use limitations.) Such plans must be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Congress.
Within two years of enactment, OMB must submit recommendations to Congress regarding government software procurement policies and practices to
• increase the interoperability of software licenses;
• consolidate licenses when appropriate;
• reduce costs;
• improve performance; and
• modernize the management and oversight of agency software.
The GAO must report on certain related topics, including governmentwide trends in agency software asset management practices and comparisons of such practices among agencies.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 2417
A BILL
Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act
Sponsor: Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA-11) · Introduced Mar 27, 2025 · Government Operations and Politics · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 27, 2025: “Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.”