A bill entitled "The 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 3, 2007
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Protect America Act of 2007 - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to provide that a court order is not required for the electronic surveillance of communication between persons who are not located within the United States for collecting foreign intelligence information, without respect to whether the communication passes through the United States or the surveillance device is located within the United States.
Authorizes the Attorney General (AG) to apply to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (Court) for an order, or the extension of an order, authorizing for up to one year the electronic surveillance for foreign intelligence purposes of persons outside the United States.
Allows the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the AG to authorize the immediate electronic surveillance (without prior Court order) of persons reasonably believed to be outside the United States if: (1) the DNI and AG determine that it is in the U.S. national security interest to begin such surveillance; and (2) the AG submits to the Court, within five days after the commencement of the surveillance, a certification of and application for such surveillance.
Authorizes the AG, with respect to an authorized surveillance, to issue a directive to a communications service provider, custodian, or other person to: (1) furnish all appropriate information, facilities, and assistance necessary to accomplish the surveillance; and (2) maintain under security procedures any surveillance records.
Directs the Inspector General to report to the congressional intelligence and judiciary committees on surveillance conducted during the previous four-month period.
Recorded votes 1
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate 310 | On Passage of the Bill S. 2011 | Bill Defeated43–45 | Aug 3, 2007 |
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Aug 3, 2007.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-WV | John D. Rockefeller IV | Original | Aug 3, 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 7
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 25, 2007Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.
- Aug 3, 2007Introduced in Senate
- Aug 3, 2007Introduced in the Senate, read twice.
- Aug 3, 2007Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S10861-10872)
- Aug 3, 2007Failed of passage/not agreed to in Senate: Failed of passage in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 43 - 45. Record Vote Number: 310.
- Aug 3, 2007Pursuant to the order of August 3, 2007, having failed to achieve the required 60 votes in the affirmative, the measure was ordered to be placed on the calendar.
- Aug 3, 2007Ordered placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 332.
In the Congressional Record 1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S10861–S10872, S10881Recorded votes S10872enact | Arlen Specter D-PA, Barbara A. Mikulski D-MD, Barbara Boxer D-CA, Bill Nelson D-FL, Carl Levin D-MI, Christopher S. Bond R-MO, Dianne Feinstein D-CA, Edward M. Kennedy D-MA, Frank R. Lautenberg D-NJ, Harry Reid D-NV, John Cornyn R-TX, John D. Rockefeller IV D-WV, John F. Kerry D-MA, John Warner R-VA, Joseph I. Lieberman I-CT, Mitch McConnell R-KY, Patrick J. Leahy D-VT, Patty Murray D-WA, Russell D. Feingold D-WI, Saxby Chambliss R-GA, Sheldon Whitehouse D-RI | Aug 3, 2007 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1927 | 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 1
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill entitled "The 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 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Aug 3, 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.
