SC New York News

The U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously passed the Source Code Harmonization and Reuse in Information Technology (SHARE IT) Act, introduced by Congressman Nick Langworthy. This bipartisan legislation, identified as H.R. 9566, aims to reduce federal spending on software development by mandating that federal agencies share custom-developed source code.

Congressman Langworthy highlighted the financial implications of current practices, stating, “Each year, the government spends approximately $6 billion on software development, a portion of which funds the creation of custom code for agency-specific programs.” He noted that without a mandate for code-sharing, agencies often operate independently, leading to unnecessary duplication as they pay contractors to develop solutions already existing within other federal entities.

Langworthy emphasized the act's benefits: “The SHARE IT Act addresses this problem directly. It mandates that agencies publicly list and share their custom code—allowing solutions to be reused across the government, saving both time and money.” The legislation includes safeguards for sensitive or classified information to ensure national security and privacy remain protected.

Under this new law, agencies are required to share software they develop or purchase while safeguarding sensitive information. Agency Chief Information Officers will be responsible for overseeing compliance and must submit annual reports to Congress. The implementation is designed not to require additional funding by utilizing existing platforms such as code.gov along with private sector options.