FISA Improvements Act of 2013
Latest action. By Senator Feinstein from select committeeA committee created for a specific purpose or period, usually to investigate something, rather than to hold permanent jurisdiction over a subject.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Intelligence filed written report. Report No. 113-119. Additional and Minority views filed.
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)
FISA Improvements Act of 2013 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to place restrictions on the bulk collection of wire or electronic communications that a FISA court may authorize in response to an application by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for an order requiring the production of tangible things (commonly referred to as business records, including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) for an investigation to obtain foreign intelligence information not concerning a U.S. person or to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities.
Prohibits a FISA court from authorizing: (1) bulk acquisition of wire or electronic communication records from an entity that provides an electronic communication service to the public if such order does not name or otherwise identify either individuals or facilities, unless the court requires specified security procedures to be followed with respect to the use of such data; or (2) acquisition of the content of any communication.
Defines "content" as information concerning the substance, purport, or meaning of a communication, excluding any dialing, routing, addressing, or signaling information.
Limits to 90 days the period during which an order may be in effect, but permits the court to extend such period, on the same basis as an original order, upon application for an extension and new findings by the court.
Requires the government to follow security procedures approved by the court to ensure that only authorized personnel will have access to information acquired pursuant to such an order.
Prohibits access to bulk information acquired pursuant to an order except to: (1) query a selector (such as a phone number or electronic account identifier associated with a particular communicant or facility) for which a recorded determination has been made that there is a reasonable articulable suspicion (RAS) that it is associated with international terrorism or related terrorism preparation activities; (2) return information concerning communications to or from such selector, or communications to or from other selectors in communication with, or reasonably linked to, the selector used to perform the query (commonly referred to as "tiers of contact" or "hops"); or (3) narrow query results or conduct technical assurance, data management, or compliance measures.
The summary continues for 24 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate without amendment" stage on October 31, 2013. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on November 12, 2013: By Senator Feinstein from Select Committee on Intelligence filed written report. Report No. 113-119. Additional and Minority views filed.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 113th Congress (2013-14), 296 of the 9,091 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.3 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced it on October 31, 2013. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on October 31, 2013, 4697 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4685 days ago, on November 12, 2013.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 113th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2015 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers