Several lawmakers introduced a bill this week that would provide Congress more access to decisions made by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review (FISC) regardless of outcome, allowing for more oversight of the intelligence community, four congressmen said in a press release.
Reps. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.), Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Randy Forbes (R-Va.) introduced the Intelligence Oversight and Accountability Act of 2013 (H.R. 3103), which requires the Attorney General to share with Congress any FISC decisions, orders or opinions that include a denial or modification of an Intelligence Community (IC) request, or results in a change to any legal interpretation of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
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| photo courtesy U.S. Congress. |
Current law requires the Attorney General to share decisions, orders or opinions only when it constitutes a “significant construction or interpretation of the law.” If the decision’s impact is not deemed “significant,” the AG does not have to share the details with Congress.
“Removing discretionary elements regarding what Congress should and should not receive from the FISC will increase the congressional oversight of Intelligence Community tools and programs to ensure their proper use,” according to the press release.
The bill also requires the Justice Department to include enhanced summaries of the FISC decisions, orders and opinions to make information more accessible, and it allows Congress to assess whether information collected under programs authorized by FISA and the PATRIOT Act are being implemented in manner consistent with congressional intent.
The bill has been referred to both the House Judiciary Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.