• Biz Opps
  • Company News
    • Products & Services
  • Contract Awards
    • International
  • IC Insiders
  • Intel Agencies
    • Congress
    • Policies
  • People
  • Programs
  • My Account
Intelligence Community NewsIntelligence Community NewsIntelligence Community News Intelligence Community News
My Account
  • Biz Opps
  • Company News
    • Products & Services
  • Contract Awards
    • International
  • IC Insiders
  • Intel Agencies
    • Congress
    • Policies
  • People
  • Programs
  • My Account
  • Home
  • Congress
  • Bipartisan group introduces USA Freedom Act in House
Sigma Defense acquires Aries Defense
Company News
About 3 hours ago
Sigma Defense acquires Aries Defense
USAF posts TDC ACP-E sources sought
Biz Opps
About 3 hours ago
USAF posts TDC ACP-E sources sought
BigBear.ai and Tsecond announce collaboration
Company News
About 3 hours ago
BigBear.ai and Tsecond announce collaboration

Bipartisan group introduces USA Freedom Act in House

By Loren Blinde April 30, 2015
0 Comments

House 112Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), and Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Subcommittee Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.)  introduced the USA Freedom Act on April 28. This bipartisan bill builds on the Committee’s extensive work on this issue last Congress, containing even stronger protections for Americans’ civil liberties, providing for even greater transparency for both the private sector and government, and preventing government overreach, while enhancing national security.

In June 2013, unauthorized disclosures of classified information revealed to the American people that the National Security Agency had been collecting bulk telephony “metadata” under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Following the revelation of this information, the House Judiciary Committee worked extensively last Congress to end the NSA’s bulk collection program: it conducted aggressive oversight of our nation’s intelligence-gathering programs operated under FISA and approved bipartisan legislation in Committee, which was ultimately passed overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives. However, the Senate failed to pass legislation on this issue.

Crime Subcommittee Chairman Sensenbrenner, Chairman Goodlatte, Ranking Member Conyers, and Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Subcommittee Ranking Member Nadler praised the introduction of the bill in the joint statement below.

“As several intelligence-gathering programs are set to expire in a month, it is imperative that we reform these programs to protect Americans’ privacy while at the same time protecting our national security. The bipartisan bill introduced today builds on the Committee’s work on this issue last year. It enhances civil liberties protections, increases transparency for both American businesses and the government, ends the bulk collection of data, and provides national security officials targeted tools to keep America safe from foreign enemies. We look forward to expeditiously moving this strong, bipartisan bill through the House Judiciary Committee and then through Congress so that we rein in government overreach and rebuild trust with the American people. We thank Senators Lee and Leahy for working on this issue and introducing companion legislation in the Senate.”

Key Components of the USA Freedom Act:

Protects civil liberties:  
• Ends bulk collection: Prohibits bulk collection of ALL records under Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act, the FISA pen register authority, and national security letter statutes.
• Prevents government overreach: The bulk collection prohibition is strengthened by prohibiting large-scale, indiscriminate collection, such as all records from an entire state, city, or zip code.
• Allows challenges of national security letter gag orders:  NSL nondisclosure orders must be based upon a danger to national security or interference with an investigation. Codifies procedures for individual companies to challenge nondisclosure orders.  Requires periodic review of nondisclosure orders to determine necessity.

Improves transparency and better information-sharing with the American people: 
• Expertise at the FISA court:  The bill creates a panel of amicus curie at the FISA court to provide guidance on matters of privacy and civil liberties, communications technology, and other technical or legal matters.
• Declassified FISA opinions: All significant constructions or interpretations of law by the FISA court must be made public.  These include all significant interpretations of the definition of “specific selection term,” the concept at the heart of the ban on bulk collection.
• Robust government reporting: The Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence will provide the public with detailed information about how they use these national security authorities.
• Robust company reporting:  Tech companies will have a range of options for describing how they respond to national security orders, all consistent with national security needs.

Strengthens national security:
• Gives the government the tools it needs:  Creates a new call detail records program that is closely overseen by the FISA court.
• Contains an additional tool to combat ISIL:  The bill closes a loophole in current law that requires the government to stop tracking foreign terrorists when they enter the U.S. This provision gives the government 72 hours to track foreign terrorists when they initially enter the United States (it does not apply to U.S. persons) – enough time for the government to obtain the proper authority under U.S. law.
• Increases the statutory maximum prison sentence to 20 years for providing material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
• Enhances investigations of international proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
• Protects United States’ maritime activities from nuclear threats, weapons of mass destruction, and other threats by implementing the obligations of various treaties to which the United States is a party.
• Provides strictly limited emergency authorities:  Creates new procedures for the emergency use of Section 215 but requires the government to destroy the information it collects if a FISA court application is denied.

Tags:

bulk collection of metadataFISAForeign Intelligence Surveillance ActJerry NadlerJim SensenbrennerJohn ConyersmeteredNational Security AgencyUSA FREEDOM Act
Don't Miss It
Director John Brennan discusses his vision for CIA's future at INSA Leadership Dinner
Up Next
Defense Intelligence Agency awards Leidos $25 million task order

Related Articles

  • Core4ce names David Luber to board of advisors
    PeopleSeptember 5, 2025
    Core4ce names David Luber to board of advisors
  • NSA, CISA, and partners release SBOM information
    Intel AgenciesSeptember 4, 2025
    NSA, CISA, and partners release SBOM information
  • China state-sponsored actors targeting CI orgs, according to NSA
    Intel AgenciesAugust 28, 2025
    China state-sponsored actors targeting CI orgs, according to NSA

Must read

Sigma Defense acquires Aries Defense
Company NewsAbout 3 hours ago

Sigma Defense acquires Aries Defense

USAF posts TDC ACP-E sources sought
Biz OppsAbout 3 hours ago

USAF posts TDC ACP-E sources sought

BigBear.ai and Tsecond announce collaboration
Company NewsAbout 3 hours ago

BigBear.ai and Tsecond announce collaboration

Oracle and Duality partner
Products & ServicesAbout 3 hours ago

Oracle and Duality partner

Qunnect secures Air Force contract
Contract AwardsAbout 4 hours ago

Qunnect secures Air Force contract

Viasat secures USSF PTS-G program contract
Contract AwardsOctober 10, 2025

Viasat secures USSF PTS-G program contract

L3Harris to support Army NGC2 program
Contract AwardsOctober 10, 2025

L3Harris to support Army NGC2 program

Air Space Intelligence Federal achieves CMMC Level 2
Company NewsOctober 10, 2025

Air Space Intelligence Federal achieves CMMC Level 2

Empower AI secures CI modernization contract
Contract AwardsOctober 10, 2025

Empower AI secures CI modernization contract

EXPANSIA names Mike Cosgrave COO
PeopleOctober 10, 2025

EXPANSIA names Mike Cosgrave COO

More in metered
Thales Alenia Space, Telespazio and Spaceflight Industries partner to accelerate BlackSky geospatial platform
September 20, 2017

Want more IC News?

Sign up to receive our free daily newsletter and never miss an update!

Sign Up Now

About Us

Founded in 2013, Intelligence Community News is the daily online publication that Intelligence Community (IC) insiders trust for breaking news about the IC contracting landscape. Keep up to date with contract awards, business opportunities, M&As, new technologies, executive moves, and other vital information. Our daily e-newsletter is free to all readers. For industry professionals, we offer two subscription options that unlock full access to our library of 5,000+ articles – plus new content each weekday. Learn more >

Copyright © 2022 Community Intelligence News. All rights reserved.
Developed by Novative Software

Popular Post

Sigma Defense acquires Aries Defense
Company News

Sigma Defense acquires Aries Defense

USAF posts TDC ACP-E sources sought
Biz Opps

USAF posts TDC ACP-E sources sought

BigBear.ai and Tsecond announce collaboration
Company News

BigBear.ai and Tsecond announce collaboration

useful links

  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • IC Insiders Sponsored Content
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Popular Category

  • Biz Opps
  • Company News
  • Congress
  • Contract Awards
  • IC Insiders
  • Intel Agencies
  • International
  • People
  • Policies
  • Products & Services
  • Programs
  • Uncategorized
Intelligence Community News
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • IC Insiders Sponsored Content
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy