A Short-Term Extension for the PATRIOT Act (Unchanged) (S. 1357)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is S. 1357?
(Updated November 21, 2017)
This bill would reauthorize the PATRIOT Act and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) until July 31, 2015. It would extend the PATRIOT Act and FISA without any changes. The two are due to expire on June 1, 2015.
Because there would be no modification to these Acts, the bulk collection of all records under Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act, the FISA pen register authority, and national security letter statutes would continue legally under current law.
Argument in favor
A short-term reauthorization is better than letting the security provisions of the PATRIOT Act lapse, and it will give the Senate about two months to come up with reform legislation that can pass.
Argument opposed
There is other legislation that would preserve some aspects of the PATRIOT Act while banning the bulk collection of Americans’ data without a warrant. Pass that bill, or let the bulk collection provision expire.
Impact
Americans whose data would otherwise have been gathered or are concerned about infringements on their civil liberties, agencies with intelligence and counter-terrorism duties.
Cost of S. 1357
A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.
Additional Info
In-Depth: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced this bill in the hopes of providing a short-term extension of Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act — assuming that the USA FREEDOM Act fails in the Senate after passing in the House.
While the USA FREEDOM Act made it through the House on a 338 to 88 vote, Senators have expressed doubts about the bill's ability to get the requisite 60 votes in the Senate.
This drama follows Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) 10 and ½ hour filibuster in opposition to the NSA’s bulk collection of Americans’ data, and a threat by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) to filibuster any attempt to provide a ‘clean’ short-term extension of the PATRIOT Act. For their part, House Republicans like Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) called a ‘clean’ extension “a waste of time” and “posturing” — respectively — while others are happy to see the PATRIOT Act expire.
Of Note: A federal appeals court ruled that the NSA’s bulk data collection was illegal on May 7, 2015 — and while the ruling did mention the “seriousness” over the program’s constitutionality under the Fourth Amendment, it did not specifically strike the program down over constitutional concerns. It did, however, open the door to a full challenge of the constitutionality of the NSA’s data collection practices.
Media:
Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Flickr user JuditK)
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