H.R. 8970 · 116th Congress
Protect Our Civil Liberties Act
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 116th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
D
GabbardSponsor1 cosponsor · 1 R
1 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill limits government surveillance, including by repealing the USA PATRIOT Act and certain provisions of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, and contains other intelligence-related provisions.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Dec 15, 2020
Protect Our Civil Liberties Act
This bill limits government surveillance, including by repealing the USA PATRIOT Act and certain provisions of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, and contains other intelligence-related provisions.
Specifically, the bill repeals all provisions of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 except for a provision requiring certain Department of Justice reports to Congress and another provision authorizing the acquisition of foreign intelligence from certain entities engaged in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Information that concerns a U.S. person must be destroyed if it was previously collected under the laws repealed by the bill.
The bill also prohibits the federal government from (1) acquiring information relating to a U.S. person by using certain foreign intelligence gathering authority without a warrant, (2) requiring electronics or software manufacturers to install a mechanism for the government to bypass encryption or privacy technology, or (3) retaliating against intelligence community whistleblowers.
The bill also extends the terms of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judges from 7 to 10 years and makes such judges eligible for reappointment. Such judges may also appoint special masters to advise the court on technical issues.
The Government Accountability Office must annually evaluate the federal government's compliance with certain laws concerning the collection of foreign intelligence.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Protect Our Civil Liberties Act
Latest action (Dec 15, 2020): Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), Financial Services, Foreign Affairs, Energy and Commerce, Education and Labor, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security · Origin: House · Introduced: Dec 15, 2020
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.