House intelligence committee passes FY 2017 intelligence authorization bill

On April 29, by a unanimous voice vote, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence reported the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (H.R. 5077) to the full of House of Representatives.

This legislation provides the Intelligence Community authorization needed to protect and defend the United States. It supports critical national security programs such as those protecting Americans against terrorism and cyberattacks. The total funding authorized by the bill is consistent with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, balancing fiscal discipline and national security.

Among other things, the legislation:

• Sustains critical capabilities to fight terrorism and counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
• Shines a light on Guantanamo transfers by requiring declassification reviews of intelligence on past terrorist activities of individuals transferred out of Guantanamo Bay.
• Strengthens Congressional oversight of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) by setting authorization requirements for the PCLOB and directing PCLOB to keep Congress fully informed of its activities in a timely way.
• Caps fees for mandatory declassification reviews to match costs of similar Freedom of Information Act requests.
• Updates Intelligence Community whistleblowing procedures.
• Clarifies eligibility for death benefits for Central Intelligence Agency personnel.
• Improves Intelligence Community reporting to Congress.

“This bill will keep the Intelligence Community fully funded so it can carry out its vital work protecting Americans from a wide range of pressing foreign threats,” said Chairman Nunes. “At the same time, the bill ensures that Congress has the means to conduct vigorous oversight over the Intelligence Community’s activities. I thank our committee’s members for their bipartisan work in drafting this bill, and I look forward to its swift passage in the House of Representatives.”

For more information on the bill, click here.

Source: HPSCI