NSA Internal Watchdog Act
Latest action · Jul 21, 2014 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
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.
- IntroducedApr 30, 2014
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
NSA Internal Watchdog Act - Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to require the President to appoint, with advice and consent of the Senate, the Inspector General of the National Security Agency (NSA). (Currently, the NSA Inspector General is appointed by the NSA Director.)
Directs the Inspector General to include in an annual report to Congress a review of the mechanisms for NSA employees or contractors to submit complaints.
Establishes a General Counsel to the NSA Inspector General, to be appointed by the Inspector General.
Requires the General Counsel to prescribe professional rules of ethics and responsibilities for NSA employees, officers, and contractors.
Authorizes the Inspector General, after providing the Attorney General (DOJ) with seven days' advance notice, to subpoena the attendance and testimony of former NSA employees or NSA contractors, former contractors, or former detailees.
Requires the Inspector General to provide Congress with an evaluation of any notice or statement of reasons the Inspector General receives from the Secretary of Defense (DOD) regarding the Secretary's exercise of authority in the interest of national security to prohibit the Inspector General from initiating, carrying out, or completing any audit or investigation.
Directs the Inspector General, in carrying out any audit or investigation of a surveillance or data collection program, to assess the impact of such program on civil rights and liberties.
Requires the Inspector General's reports to Congress to be made available to all Members of Congress.
Directs the Inspector General to audit and report to Congress regarding the effectiveness and use (including improper or illegal use) of NSA surveillance and data collection programs, including programs under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) that authorize: (1) the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to submit applications to the FISA court for an order requiring the production of tangible things (commonly referred to as business records, including books, records, papers, documents, and other items); and (2) the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), with the approval of the FISA court or under exigent circumstances, to authorize the targeting of persons located outside the United States.
Requires such audit to address: (1) the interactions between the NSA and the FISA court, and (2) the process for conducting background investigations of persons for NSA employment or for receiving access to classified information.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Apr 30, 2014.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CT | James A. Himes | Original | Apr 30, 2014 |
| R-TX | Lamar Smith | Original | Apr 30, 2014 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 21, 2014Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
- Jul 21, 2014Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
- Apr 30, 2014Introduced in House
- Apr 30, 2014Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Intelligence (Permanent Select), 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.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2439 | NSA Internal Watchdog Act | Related bill | Jun 5, 2014 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Congressional oversight
- Evidence and witnesses
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Federal officials
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government studies and investigations
- Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
- Lawyers and legal services
- National Security Agency
- Public contracts and procurement
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 30, 2014Introduced in House
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.