The Well-Informed, Scientific, & Efficient Government Act of 2025 (WISE Government Act) aims to improve federal access to scientific literature and other subscription services. It does this by prohibiting nondisclosure agreements that hide subscription costs, requiring agency libraries to openly share their access policies with employees, and mandating a comprehensive report within a year on how to increase library access to serials (journals and similar periodicals). The report would cover current subscriptions and costs, access issues, and recommendations, including potential short- and long-term solutions and whether new interagency purchasing models or greater transparency are needed. The bill involves the General Services Administration (as Administrator) and coordination with the Library of Congress and other scientific libraries and information centers.
Key Points
- 1Prohibition on nondisclosure of subscription costs: Agency heads may not enter into journal subscription contracts that block cost disclosure to other agencies or the Library of Congress.
- 2Employee access to library subscriptions: Within six months, each agency library must clearly display, via the intranet, its policies or procedures for employee access to library subscriptions, including for regional staff.
- 3Report on increasing access to serials: Within 12 months, the Administrator, in consultation with the Library of Congress and relevant libraries (and other stakeholders such as DTIC, NLM, ERIC, NTIS), must submit a report to Congress and each agency library with data on subscriptions and costs, access issues, and recommended steps (including short- and long-term solutions and potential new purchasing models).
- 4Scope and definitions: The bill applies to specified executive and military departments and other science-focused agencies (e.g., EPA, NASA) and designates the Director of the Office of Management and Budget as part of its framework.
- 5FOIA-related caveat: The act does not require disclosure of information that is not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.