National Security Letter Judicial and Congressional Oversight Act

To require the approval of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge or designated United States Magistrate Judge for the issuance of a national security letter, to require the Attorney General to submit semiannual reports on national security letters, and for other purposes.

3/28/2007--Introduced.
National Security Letter Judicial and Congressional Oversight Act - Prohibits a national security letter from issuing unless a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or a designated U.S. Magistrate Judge finds that:
(1) the information sought is relevant to an authorized investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities;
(2) such an investigation of a U.S. person is not conducted soley upon the basis of activities protected by the first amendment to the Constitution; and
(3) there are specific and articulable facts giving reason to believe that the information sought pertains to a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power. Requires the court established under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to establish an electronic system for the submission of documents and other information relating to such proceedings, and for the issuance of orders relating to national security letters. Expresses the sense of Congress that, in the case of a challenge to a nondisclosure requirement of a national security letter, a certification by the Attorney General or other appropriate head or deputy head of a federal department, agency, or instrumentality that disclosure of such a letter may endanger U.S. national security or interfere with diplomatic relations should not be considered conclusive evidence but only a rebuttable presumption that such disclosure would do so. Directs the Attorney General to establish minimization and destruction procedures to ensure that information obtained pursuant to a national security letter regarding persons no longer of interest in an authorized investigation is destroyed.

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Sponsor

• Rep. Jane Harman [D, CA-36]

Committees

• House Financial Services
• 3 more
  • House Judiciary
  • House Intelligence (Permanent Select)
  • House Judiciary
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Amendments

This bill has no amendments.

Amendments to H.R.1739

Number	Status	Purpose

Bill Status

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Introduced		Voted on by House		Voted on by Senate		Considered By President		Bill Becomes Law
March 28, 2007

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All Bill Actions

• Apr 08, 2008: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
• Mar 28, 2007: Referred to House Financial Services
• Mar 28, 2007: Referred to House Intelligence (Permanent Select)
• Mar 28, 2007: Referred to House Judiciary
• Mar 28, 2007: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• Mar 28, 2007: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E686)
• Introduced on Mar 28, 2007.

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Related Issue Areas:

• Subpoena
• Law
• Armed forces
• Business
• 35 more
• Business records
• Civil liberties
• Communications
• Congressional reporting requirements
• Counterintelligence
• Counterterrorism
• Court records
• Criminal investigation
• Criminal justice
• Defense policy
• Diplomacy
• Electronic government information
• Espionage
• Evidence (Law)
• Finance
• Financial statements
• Foreign agents
• Foreign policy
• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of the press
• Government statistics
• Intelligence activities
• International affairs
• Judges
• Magistrates
• National security
• Religion
• Religious liberty
• Right of assembly
• Right of petition
• Right of privacy
• Searches and seizures
• Technology
• Telecommunication
• Terrorism

Data from the Congressional Research Service

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