H.R. 1247 — WISE Government Act

This section establishes the short title of the Act as the “Well-Informed, Scientific, & Efficient Government Act of 2025” or the “WISE Government Act.”

This section prohibits agency heads from entering into journal subscription contracts that bar disclosure of subscription costs to another agency or the Library of Congress, requires each agency library to make employee access policies or procedures available on the agency intranet within 6 months of enactment, and directs the Administrator of General Services to submit a report to Congress and agency libraries within 12 months of enactment on increasing access to serials. As background, the report must include a survey of subscription purchases and costs for applicable agency libraries and the Library of Congress, identify issues affecting access to scientific serials and subscriptions, and recommend short-term and long-term solutions, including whether greater interagency transparency and new purchasing models are needed. The section defines “applicable agency library” to include the libraries of the 15 Executive departments listed in 5 U.S.C. § 101, the military departments listed in 5 U.S.C. § 102, and scientific agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and it clarifies that the provision does not require disclosure of information exempt from disclosure under 5 U.S.C. § 552(b).