News and Views

Passage of Intelligence Bill Will Help Prevent Another September 11, Lewis Says

WASHINGTON – Congressman Jerry Lewis strongly supported passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) renewal Friday, saying America desperately needs a fully-developed intelligence capability to prevent future terrorist attacks.

            “ America learned a number of things on 9/11/2001, most importantly that we need our intelligence communities to have every tool possible to protect us,” said Lewis, the senior Republican member of the House Appropriations Committee. “The terrorists in the world want to destroy our way of life, and we need to know where they are and what they are planning.

            “One of the most important intelligence capabilities is to be able to listen in on people who are known terrorists when they communicate with people inside the United States ,” Lewis said. “This capability has been severely restricted nearly a year while Congress debated this legislation, and passage of this bill will unquestionably make us safer.”

            The bi-partisan compromise legislation approved Friday reinforces the ability of intelligence communities to monitor electronic information sources. It includes strong protections of civil liberties for U.S. citizens, while at the same time allowing for quick action when a need arises to monitor communications outside the country, Lewis said.

            The compromise bill approved Friday:

• Requires federal district courts to dismiss civil actions against those who provided assistance to the intelligence community after the September 11^th attacks under certain conditions: The Attorney General must certify that the assistance came after a written request or directive showing the activity was authorized by the President and lawful. This will limit frivolous lawsuits against telecommunications companies that cooperated with investigators after the September 11 attacks, but allow courts to review the record on the matter, Lewis said.

• Provides for FISA court review of future surveillance authorizations and federal district court review of civil liability determinations.  For the first time, the bill also provides for federal court review of surveillance directed at U.S. persons in foreign countries, whether the surveillance is conducted in the United States or abroad, Lewis said.

• Permit the initiation of new foreign surveillance without a court order when critical intelligence would be lost or not timely collected, and provides a process for federal court review of such surveillance after the fact.  In less urgent circumstances, the bill provides a mechanism for court review of new intelligence collection certifications directed at foreign targets in foreign countries.

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