A bipartisan group of House lawmakers has reintroduced the Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets (SAMOSA) Act, a bill originally filed this Congress by the late Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly.
The group of lawmakers – which includes Reps. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, Pat Fallon, R-Texas, April McClain Delaney, D-Md., and Nancy Mace, R-S.C. – reintroduced the legislation on Sept. 25. Senators introduced a companion bill in the Senate back in June.
The SAMOSA Act aims to streamline software purchasing across the federal government to reduce unnecessary costs. The House previously passed the legislation in December 2024.
“The SAMOSA Act is straightforward legislation to streamline federal software purchasing and make sure taxpayer dollars are used effectively. We all know how complicated it can be to manage software and this legislation will help agencies track and manage purchases,” Brown, the ranking member of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, said in a press release.
“I’m proud to reintroduce this legislation that our former Oversight Ranking Member Connolly championed, and look forward to building more bipartisan support for this bill,” she added.
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 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.
“Our SAMOSA Act requires agencies to account for existing software assets and consolidate purchases: reducing redundancy, increasing accountability, and saving potentially billions for American taxpayers,” said Mace. “By modernizing federal IT procurement, this legislation ensures greater oversight and demonstrates our responsibility to be faithful stewards of every taxpayer dollar.”
Our SAMOSA Act requires agencies to account for existing software assets and consolidate purchases: reducing redundancy, increasing accountability, and saving potentially billions for American taxpayers. By modernizing federal IT procurement, this legislation ensures greater oversight and demonstrates our responsibility to be faithful stewards of every taxpayer dollar, according to Mace.
The SAMOSA Act is supported by the Coalition for Fair Software Licensing, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, NetChoice, and the Alliance for Digital Innovation.
“We are excited the SAMOSA Act is back on the radar and thank Representatives Brown, Fallon, McClain Delaney, and Mace for leading the charge to promote transparency, accountability, and cost savings in federal software purchasing,” Ryan Triplette, executive director of the Coalition for Fair Software Licensing, said in a Sept. 26 statement.
“The SAMOSA Act is an important step to reduce redundancies and create efficiencies in the federal government, and we look forward to the passage of this important piece of legislation,” Triplette said.