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Advocacy Blog
Friday, June 27, 2008
Senate Holds Off on FISA
CQ ($$) reports that the Senate will take up a rewrite of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) after returning from the July 4th recess on July 8th. On June 25 the Senate voted 80-15, to limit debate on a motion to proceed to the bill (HR 6304).
Those who oppose the bill argue that the privacy of U.S. citizens would be jeopardized and the administration's warrantless surveillance program would be protected from any determination of illegality. During debate, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) said; "we are about to make another great error because of fear, because we fail to understand that balancing legitimate interests of our security and our rights ought not to be compromised. That is what the FISA courts were created to do - to balance rights and fears over legitimate concerns about our security being jeopardized. So I rise once again to voice my strong opposition to the misguided FISA legislation before us, as it will come in the next day or so."
When the bill is considered in July, three amendments will be considered :
- An amendment offered by Senators Dodd, Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) would strip the bill of its immunity provision.
- An amendment offered by Senator Arlen Specter, (R-PA) would require the lawsuits' dismissal unless a federal district court determines the assistance "was provided in connection with an intelligence activity that violated the Constitution of the United States."
- Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) plans to offer an amendment that would stay all the pending lawsuits until 90 days after Congress receives the inspectors general report on the president's surveillance program required by the legislation.
For a few blogs worth reading on the issue, check out Secrecy News and Wired.com's Threat Level Blog.
Contact your Senators' office and tell them to vote "no" on the FISA bill.
Posted by Amanda Adams
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