Protect America Act of 2007
Latest action · Sep 25, 2007 Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedAug 1, 2007
- Passed SenateAug 3, 2007
- Passed HouseAug 4, 2007
- To the PresidentAug 5, 2007
- Became lawAug 5, 2007Public Law 110-55
Summary
(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on August 3, 2007. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Protect America Act of 2007 - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to state that nothing under its definition of "electronic surveillance" shall be construed to encompass surveillance directed at a person reasonably believed to be located outside the United States.
Allows the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the Attorney General (AG), for periods up to one year, to authorize the acquisition of foreign intelligence information concerning persons outside the United States if the DNI and AG determine that: (1) there are reasonable procedures in place for determining that such acquisition concerns persons outside the United States, and such procedures will be subject to review by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (Court); (2) the acquisition does not constitute electronic surveillance; (3) the acquisition involves obtaining foreign intelligence information from or with the assistance of a communication service provider or other person who has access to communications; (4) a significant purpose of the acquisition is to obtain foreign intelligence information; and (5) the minimization procedures (procedures to ensure the smallest level of privacy intrusion while obtaining such information) to be used meet the definition of minimization procedures under FISA. Requires such determination to be certified and submitted to the Court.
Requires the AG to report to: (1) the Court the procedures by which the government determines that such acquisitions do not constitute electronic surveillance; and (2) the congressional intelligence and judiciary committees semiannually concerning acquisitions made during the previous six-month period.
Terminates this Act 180 days after its enactment. Makes authorizations for the acquisition of information made by this Act, and directives issued pursuant to such authorizations, effective until their expiration.
Recorded votes 2
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Aug 1, 2007.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-MO | Christopher S. Bond | Original | Aug 1, 2007 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Hearings Sep 25, 2007 |
Actions 19
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 25, 2007Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.
- Aug 5, 2007Presented to President.
- Aug 5, 2007Signed by President.
- Aug 5, 2007Became Public Law No: 110-55.
- Aug 4, 2007Received in the House.
In the Congressional Record 15
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E491 | Betty McCollum D-MN | Apr 3, 2008 |
| House | Debate and remarks H862–H866 | Daniel E. Lungren R-CA | Feb 12, 2008 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S15710–S15714, S15722–S15724, S15738 | Christopher S. Bond R-MO, Jeff Sessions R-AL, John Cornyn R-TX, John D. Rockefeller IV D-WV, Russell D. Feingold D-WI | Dec 17, 2007 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S15178 | Jon Kyl R-AZ | Dec 12, 2007 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S15011 | Sheldon Whitehouse D-RI | Dec 7, 2007 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 110-78 | WARRANTLESS SURVEILLANCE AND THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT: THE ROLE OF CHECKS AND BALANCES IN PROTECTING AMERICANS' PRIVACY RIGHTS (PART I)211 pages | Judiciary Committee | Sep 5, 2007 |
CRS reports 9
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 9
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R44847 | Selected Homeland Security Issues in the 115th Congress Archived | Report | May 11, 2017 |
| R44457 | Surveillance of Foreigners Outside the United States Under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) | Report | Apr 13, 2016 |
| R42114 | Federal Laws Relating to Cybersecurity: Overview of Major Issues, Current Laws, and Proposed Legislation Archived | Report | Dec 12, 2014 |
| RL31133 | Declarations of War and Authorizations for the Use of Military Force: Historical Background and Legal Implications Archived | Report | Apr 18, 2014 |
| R43134 | NSA Surveillance Leaks: Background and Issues for Congress Archived | Report | Sep 4, 2013 |
Amendments 1
Amendments offered to this bill.
| Amendment | Description | Offered by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA 2649 | To provide a sunset provision. | Mitch McConnell R-KY | Amendment SA 2649 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent. |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2011 | A bill entitled "The Protect America Act of 2007". | Related bill | Sep 25, 2007 |
| HR 3356 | Improving Foreign Intelligence Surveillance to Defend the Nation and the Constitution Act of 2007 | Related bill | Aug 3, 2007 |
Titles 5
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to provide additional procedures for authorizing certain acquisitions of foreign intelligence information and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Protect America Act of 2007
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Protect America Act of 2007
- Short Titles as Passed Senate
- Protect America Act of 2007
- Short Titles as Enacted
- Protect America Act of 2007
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Appellate procedure
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Commerce
- Congress
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Counterintelligence
- Courts of special jurisdiction
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Criminal investigation
- Electronic surveillance
- Law
- Right of privacy
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Telecommunication industry
- Warrants (Law)
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- —Enrolled Bill
- Aug 3, 2007Engrossed in Senate
- Aug 2, 2007Placed on Calendar Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
