Legacy IT Reduction Act of 2026

Key Points

• This bill requires federal agencies to identify and list all their old, outdated computer systems within one year. These systems, often called legacy IT, are frequently slow, expensive to maintain, and less secure than modern technology.
• Every agency must create a five-year plan to update, replace, or get rid of these aging systems. These plans must be shared with Congress to ensure the government is making progress on modernization.
• The Office of Management and Budget will create the official rules for what counts as an outdated system. This ensures all parts of the government are using the same standards when they evaluate their technology.
• To protect the country, national security systems are not included in these requirements. Additionally, the bill strictly forbids the government from giving or selling any of this technology to China.
• The bill does not give agencies any new money to pay for these upgrades. Agencies will have to use their current budgets or existing technology funds to cover the costs of switching to newer systems.
• This policy is designed to be a temporary push rather than a permanent change. The law would expire six years after it is signed, giving agencies a specific window of time to clean up their old technology.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.