House Passes Revised FISA Legislation That Creates Liability Process for Telcos

摘要

The House, staring down a promised veto by President Bush, has pushed through its own version of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act legislation that would not grant retroactive immunity from prosecution to telecom service providers but would allow a federal judge to privately review their claims to determine whether they should receive liability protection. By a 213-197 vote, the House approved an amended version of HR 3773 that goes further than the chamber's original legislation passed last November in granting telecom providers an opportunity to defend themselves from some 40 lawsuits filed against them for their alleged participation in the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program. Republicans, however, made clear their belief that the measure approved March 14 did not go far enough, and none supported it.