As originally reported in my August 23 diary, Senators Feingold and Durbin, after waiting months for the Obama Administration to submit proposals to undo the damage to our Privacy Rights in the PATRIOT and FISA Amendment Acts, have submitted their own bill, joined by Senators Tester, Tom Udall, Bingaman, Sanders, Akaka and Wyden.
Dubbed the JUSTICE ACT (Judicious Use of Surveillance Tools In Counterterrorism Efforts) the measure, according to Feingold's press release, would curtail, but not eliminate FBI National Security letters, limit "Sneak and Peak' warrants to the most serious crimes, tighten roving wiretaps, repeal telecom immunity under FISA, block "bulk collection' of communications' content, limit the governments use of FISA data later determined to have been collected unlawfully, step up Congressional oversight, and tighten PATRIOT's definitions of "Domestic Terrorism' to not include peaceful civil disobedience. Also narrowed, the definition of "material support' for terrorism, so that a target or defendant would have to know their resources were being abused.
It's always my practice to link bill texts, but it's not yet up on the Congressional servers.
Not, apparently, included in the bill, statutory protection for location records collected by cellphone and other communications providers, which I hope will originate soon in the House.
I'm expecting comnments suggesting that the PATRIOT and FISA surveillance powers should remain unchecked, or even expanded, for use against Beck, the "teabaggers," "Gun nuts," Right-to-lifers, other rightwing fringe groups. It's my hope you guys will SCREAM for this, as it'll help the sponsors of the JUSTICE Act to line up support from libertarian leaning mountain west Republicans.
UPDATE: We have a Bill number, S.1686 Text not yet on the Congressional server, but Julian Sanchez has pdf at http://www.juliansanchez.com/...
UPDATE II: Pass the JUSTICE ACT Facebook group