House passes improved FISA bill without retroactive telecom immunity

House passes improved FISA bill without retroactive telecom immunity
by Joe Sudbay (DC) · 3/14/2008 02:38:00 PM ET · Link


From The Gavel:

The House has just passed the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 3773, to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to establish a procedure for authorizing certain acquisitions of foreign intelligence, and for other purposes, by a vote of 213-197-1. The revised House legislation to amend FISA grants new authorities for conducting electronic surveillance against foreign targets while preserving the requirement that the government obtain an individualized FISA court order, based on probable cause, when targeting Americans at home or abroad. The House bill also strongly enhances oversight of the Administration’s surveillance activities. Finally, the House bill does not provide retroactive immunity for telecom companies but allows the courts to determine whether lawsuits should proceed.

This is the version of the FISA bill Bush threatened to veto.

McJoan has a good wrap up of who did what to make this happen (and I would say McJoan deserves a lot of credit, too.)