Leahy introduces sweeping bill to curb surveillance

[cali]

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy introduced the most sweeping bill yet dealing with the fallout over revelations of NSA surveillance of phone records and Internet usage.

The legislation is notable for its comprehensiveness and because of the author: Leahy is sure to give the measure some time in his committee room, be it for a hearing or a markup. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said any legislation reacting to the National Security Agency programs must go through the regular committee process.

The Vermont senator’s 72-page bill takes pieces of disparate proposals from other senators who have long sought to raise red flags over the breadth of government reach stemming from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and the Patriot Act, drawing cosponsorships from Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

Lee said the bill “will narrow surveillance authorities where appropriate and help provide the necessary accountability to ensure that Americans’ constitutional rights are respected.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/senators-float-new-surveillance-bill-93276.html#ixzz2XAnwf5Q8

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Good first step

[Enrique]

2. de facto vindication of Snowden's ACTIONS

this clearly would not have happened but for what Snowden DID.

[cali]

3. it certainly helped but Leahy has been introducing like legislation for years

as have a few others.

[carolinayellowdog]

4. Impressive co-sponsors

Vermont and Oregon are certainly contributing more than their fair share of leadership on this issue