Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Improvement and Enhancement Act of 2006
Latest action. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 610.
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Improvement and Enhancement Act of 2006 - Title I: Construction of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Authority - (Sec. 101) States that specified chapters of the federal criminal code (relating to interception of communications, stored wire and electronic communications, and pen registers and trap and trace devices) and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) shall provide the exclusive means by which domestic electronic surveillance activities may be conducted. (Sec. 102) Prohibits any modification or repeal of any provisions of title I (Electronic Surveillance) of FISA without an express legislative directive.
(Sec. 103) Directs the President to brief each member of the congressional intelligence committees, no later than seven days after the enactment of this Act, on: (1) the Terrorist Surveillance Program of the National Security Agency (NSA); and (2) any domestic surveillance programs which are conducted by any federal authority without fully complying with procedures set forth in FISA or applicable provisions of the federal criminal code.
Title II: Applications and Procedures for Electronic Surveillance for Foreign Intelligence Purposes - (Sec. 201) Amends FISA to extend from 72 to 168 hours the period during which the Attorney General may authorize emergency electronic surveillance pending judicial authorization of such surveillance.
(Sec. 202) Authorizes the Attorney General to delegate the authority to approve an application for electronic surveillance to the Deputy Attorney General and the Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
(Sec. 203) Authorizes the Attorney General to appoint supervisory or executive personnel in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and NSA to authorize emergency electronic surveillance in the United States. Sets forth requirements for exercising such authority.
Requires the Attorney General to submit a report to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and the congressional intelligence committees identifying the number of FBI and NSA employees appointed to authorize emergency electronic surveillance and the guidelines describing the responsibilities of such employees.
(Sec. 204) Authorizes the appointment of additional judges to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Requires FISA judges to approve, deny, or seek modifications of an application for emergency electronic surveillance with 24 hours after receipt of such application.
The summary continues for 7 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 with amendment(s)" stage on September 13, 2006. 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 September 13, 2006: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 610.
- 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 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 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?
ARLEN SPECTER (R-PA) introduced it on May 24, 2006, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Democrat.
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 May 24, 2006, 7414 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7302 days ago, on September 13, 2006.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 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