To appropriately address the use of amici curiae in Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court proceedings and to require adequate disclosure of relevant information in Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 applications.
Legislative Activity
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Senate amendment submitted
April 19, 2024
Roll call votes on amendments in Senate: Amendment SA 1840 not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 40 - 53. Record Vote Number: 149.
April 19, 2024
Senate amendment not agreed to: Amendment SA 1840 not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 40 - 53. Record Vote Number: 149.
April 19, 2024
Senate amendment submitted
April 19, 2024
Senate amendment proposed (on the floor): Amendment SA 1840 proposed by Senator Lee.
April 19, 2024
Amendment SA 1840 proposed by Senator Lee. (consideration: CR S2927-2928) To appropriately address the use of amici curiae in Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court proceedings and to require adequate disclosure of relevant information in Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 applications.
April 19, 2024
Show 1 earlier action
Amendment SA 1840 not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 40 - 53. Record Vote Number: 149.
April 19, 2024
Votes
1 roll call on this amendment
Text
Submitted
SA 1840. Mr. LEE (for himself and Mr. Welch) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 7888, to reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978; as follows: On page 19, strike line 22 and all that follows through page 24, line 10, and insert the following: (b) Use of Amici Curiae in Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Proceedings.-- (1) Expansion of appointment authority.-- (A) In general.--Section 103(i)(2) is amended-- (i) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the following: ``(A) shall, unless the court issues a finding that appointment is not appropriate, appoint 1 or more individuals who have been designated under paragraph (1), not fewer than 1 of whom possesses privacy and civil liberties expertise, unless the court finds that such a qualification is inappropriate, to serve as amicus curiae to assist the court in the consideration of any application or motion for an order or review that, in the opinion of the court-- ``(i) presents a novel or significant interpretation of the law; ``(ii) presents significant concerns with respect to the activities of a United States person that are protected by the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States; ``(iii) presents or involves a sensitive investigative matter; ``(iv) presents a request for approval of a new program, a new technology, or a new use of existing technology; ``(v) presents a request for reauthorization of programmatic surveillance; or ``(vi) otherwise presents novel or significant civil liberties issues; and''; and (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``an individual or organization'' each place the term appears and inserting ``1 or more individuals or organizations''. (B) Definition of sensitive investigative matter.--Section 103(i) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(12) Definition.--In this subsection, the term `sensitive investigative matter' means-- ``(A) an investigative matter involving the activities of-- ``(i) a domestic public official or political candidate, or an individual serving on the staff of such an official or candidate; ``(ii) a domestic religious or political organization, or a known or suspected United States person prominent in such an organization; or ``(iii) the domestic news media; or ``(B) any other investigative matter involving a domestic entity or a known or suspected United States person that, in the judgment of the applicable court established under subsection (a) or (b), is as sensitive as an investigative matter described in subparagraph (A).''. (2) Authority to seek review.--Section 103(i), as amended by paragraph (1) of this subsection, is amended-- (A) in paragraph (4)-- (i) in the paragraph heading, by inserting ``; authority'' after ``Duties''; (ii) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) as clauses (i), (ii), and (iii), respectively, and adjusting the margins accordingly; (iii) in the matter preceding clause (i), as so redesignated, by striking ``the amicus curiae shall'' and inserting the following: ``the amicus curiae-- ``(A) shall''; (iv) in subparagraph (A)(i), as so redesignated, by inserting before the semicolon at the end the following: ``, including legal arguments regarding any privacy or civil liberties interest of any United States person that would be significantly impacted by the application or motion''; and (v) by striking the period at the end and inserting the following: ``; and ``(B) may seek leave to raise any novel or significant privacy or civil liberties issue relevant to the application or motion or other issue directly impacting the legality of the proposed electronic surveillance with the court, regardless of whether the court has requested assistance on that issue.''; (B) by redesignating paragraphs (7) through (12) as paragraphs (8) through (13), respectively; and (C) by inserting after paragraph (6) the following: ``(7) Authority to seek review of decisions.-- ``(A) FISA court decisions.-- ``(i) Petition.--Following issuance of an order under this Act by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, an amicus curiae appointed under paragraph (2) may petition the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to certify for review to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review a question of law pursuant to subsection (j). ``(ii) Written statement of reasons.--If the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court denies a petition under this subparagraph, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court shall provide for the record a written statement of the reasons for the denial. ``(iii) Appointment.--Upon certification of any question of law pursuant to this subparagraph, the Court of Review shall appoint the amicus curiae to assist the Court of Review in its consideration of the certified question, unless the Court of Review issues a finding that such appointment is not appropriate. ``(B) Declassification of referrals.--For purposes of section 602, a petition filed under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph and all of its content shall be considered a decision, order, or opinion issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review described in paragraph (2) of section 602(a).''. (3) Access to information.-- (A) Application and materials.--Section 103(i)(6) is amended by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the following: ``(A) In general.-- ``(i) Right of amicus.--If a court established under subsection (a) or (b) appoints an amicus curiae under paragraph (2), the amicus curiae-- ``(I) shall have access, to the extent such information is available to the Government, to-- ``(aa) the application, certification, petition, motion, and other information and supporting materials, including any information described in section 901, submitted to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in connection with the matter in which the amicus curiae has been appointed, including access to any relevant legal precedent (including any such precedent that is cited by the Government, including in such an application); ``(bb) an unredacted copy of each relevant decision made by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review in which the court decides a question of law, without regard to whether the decision is classified; and ``(cc) any other information or materials that the court determines are relevant to the duties of the amicus curiae; and [[Page S2938]] ``(II) may make a submission to the court requesting access to any other particular materials or information (or category of materials or information) that the amicus curiae believes to be relevant to the duties of the amicus curiae. ``(ii) Supporting documentation regarding accuracy.--The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, upon the motion of an amicus curiae appointed under paragraph (2) or upon its own motion, may require the Government to make available the supporting documentation described in section 902.''. (B) Clarification of access to certain information.-- Section 103(i)(6) is amended-- (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``may'' and inserting ``shall''; and (ii) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the following: ``(C) Classified information.--An amicus curiae designated or appointed by the court shall have access, to the extent such information is available to the Government, to unredacted copies of each opinion, order, transcript, pleading, or other document of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, including, if the individual is eligible for access to classified information, any classified documents, information, and other materials or proceedings.''. (4) Definitions.--Section 101 is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(q) The term `Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court' means the court established under section 103(a). ``(r) The term `Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review' means the court established under section 103(b).''. (5) Technical amendments relating to striking section 5(c) of the bill.-- (A) Subsection (e) of section 603, as added by section 12(a) of this Act, is amended by striking ``section 103(m)'' and inserting ``section 103(l)''. (B) Section 110(a), as added by section 15(b) of this Act, is amended by striking ``section 103(m)'' and inserting ``section 103(l)''. (C) Section 103 is amended by redesignating subsection (m), as added by section 17 of this Act, as subsection (l). (6) Effective date.--The amendments made by this subsection shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect to proceedings under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (50 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) that take place on or after, or are pending on, that date. (c) Required Disclosure of Relevant Information in Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 Applications.-- (1) In general.--The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (50 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``TITLE IX--REQUIRED DISCLOSURE OF RELEVANT INFORMATION ``SEC. 901. DISCLOSURE OF RELEVANT INFORMATION. ``The Attorney General or any other Federal officer or employee making an application for a court order under this Act shall provide the court with-- ``(1) all information in the possession of the applicant or agency by which the applicant is employed that is material to determining whether the application satisfies the applicable requirements under this Act, including any exculpatory information; and ``(2) all information in the possession of the applicant or agency by which the applicant is employed that might reasonably-- ``(A) call into question the accuracy of the application or the reasonableness of any assessment in the application conducted by the department or agency on whose behalf the application is made; or ``(B) otherwise raise doubts with respect to the findings that are required to be made under the applicable provision of this Act in order for the court order to be issued. ``SEC. 902. CERTIFICATION REGARDING ACCURACY PROCEDURES. ``(a) Definition of Accuracy Procedures.--In this section, the term `accuracy procedures' means specific procedures, adopted by the Attorney General, to ensure that an application for a court order under this Act, including any application for renewal of an existing order, is accurate and complete, including procedures that ensure, at a minimum, that-- ``(1) the application reflects all information that might reasonably call into question the accuracy of the information or the reasonableness of any assessment in the application, or otherwise raises doubts about the requested findings; ``(2) the application reflects all material information that might reasonably call into question the reliability and reporting of any information from a confidential human source that is used in the application; ``(3) a complete file documenting each factual assertion in an application is maintained; ``(4) the applicant coordinates with the appropriate elements of the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)), concerning any prior or existing relationship with the target of any surveillance, search, or other means of investigation, and discloses any such relationship in the application; ``(5) before any application targeting a United States person (as defined in section 101) is made, the applicant Federal officer shall document that the officer has collected and reviewed for accuracy and completeness supporting documentation for each factual assertion in the application; and ``(6) the applicant Federal agency establish compliance and auditing mechanisms on an annual basis to assess the efficacy of the accuracy procedures that have been adopted and report such findings to the Attorney General. ``(b) Statement and Certification of Accuracy Procedures.-- Any Federal officer making an application for a court order under this Act shall include with the application-- ``(1) a description of the accuracy procedures employed by the officer or the officer's designee; and ``(2) a certification that the officer or the officer's designee has collected and reviewed for accuracy and completeness-- ``(A) supporting documentation for each factual assertion contained in the application; ``(B) all information that might reasonably call into question the accuracy of the information or the reasonableness of any assessment in the application, or otherwise raises doubts about the requested findings; and ``(C) all material information that might reasonably call into question the reliability and reporting of any information from any confidential human source that is used in the application. ``(c) Necessary Finding for Court Orders.--A judge may not enter an order under this Act unless the judge finds, in addition to any other findings required under this Act, that the accuracy procedures described in the application for the order, as required under subsection (b)(1), are actually accuracy procedures as defined in this section.''. (2) Technical amendments to eliminate amendments made by section 10 of the bill.-- (A) Subsection (a) of section 104 is amended-- (i) in paragraph (9), as amended by section 6(d)(1)(B) of this Act, by striking ``and'' at the end; (ii) in paragraph (10), as added by section 6(d)(1)(C) of this Act, by adding ``and'' at the end; (iii) in paragraph (11), as added by section 6(e)(1) of this Act, by striking ``; and'' and inserting a period; (iv) by striking paragraph (12), as added by section 10(a)(1) of this Act; and (v) by striking paragraph (13), as added by section 10(b)(1) of this Act. (B) Subsection (a) of section 303 is amended-- (i) in paragraph (8), as amended by section 6(e)(2)(B) of this Act, by adding ``and'' at the end; (ii) in paragraph (9), as added by section 6(e)(2)(C) of this Act, by striking ``; and'' and inserting a period; (iii) by striking paragraph (10), as added by section 10(a)(2) of this Act; and (iv) by striking paragraph (11), as added by section 10(b)(2) of this Act. (C) Subsection (c) of section 402, as amended by subsections (a)(3) and (b)(3) of section 10 of this Act, is amended-- (i) in paragraph (2), by adding ``and'' at the end; (ii) in paragraph (3), by striking the semicolon and inserting a period; (iii) by striking paragraph (4), as added by section 10(a)(3)(C) of this Act; and (iv) by striking paragraph (5), as added by section 10(b)(3)(C) of this Act. (D) Subsection (b)(2) of section 502, as amended by subsections (a)(4) and (b)(4) of section 10 of this Act, is amended-- (i) in subparagraph (A), by adding ``and'' at the end; (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking the semicolon and inserting a period; (iii) by striking subparagraph (E), as added by section 10(a)(4)(C) of this Act; and (iv) by striking subparagraph (F), as added by section 10(b)(4)(C) of this Act. (E) Subsection (b)(1) of section 703, as amended by subsections (a)(5)(A) and (b)(5)(A) of section 10 of this Act, is amended-- (i) in subparagraph (I), by adding ``and'' at the end; (ii) in subparagraph (J), by striking the semicolon and inserting a period; (iii) by striking subparagraph (K), as added by section 10(a)(5)(A)(iii) of this Act; and (iv) by striking subparagraph (L), as added by section 10(b)(5)(A)(iii) of this Act. (F) Subsection (b) of section 704, as amended by subsections (a)(5)(B) and (b)(5)(B) of section 10 of this Act, is amended-- (i) in paragraph (6), by adding ``and'' at the end; (ii) in paragraph (7), by striking the semicolon and inserting a period; (iii) by striking paragraph (8), as added by section 10(a)(5)(B)(iii) of this Act; and (iv) by striking paragraph (9), as added by section 10(b)(5)(B)(iii) of this Act. (G)(i) The Attorney General shall not be required to issue procedures under paragraph (7) of section 10(a) of this Act. (ii) Nothing in clause (i) shall be construed to modify the requirement for the Attorney General to issue accuracy procedures under section 902(a) of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, as added by paragraph (2) of this subsection. ______