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Senate Bill to Renew Section 702 Surveillance Authority With Reform Measures

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Senate Bill to Renew Section 702 Surveillance Authority With Reform Measures

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has proposed a bipartisan bill that would reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — also known as FISA — through 2035 and introduce reforms when it comes to criminal queries, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The bill would prohibit FBI agents from searching the 702 database for evidence of a crime unless the investigation seeks to avoid a cyberattack on critical infrastructure or prevent loss of life.

According to the Post, the legislation would create a FISA Reform Commission to make assessments and offer recommendations and codify changes that the bureau has considered as measures to prevent intentional and accidental abuses.

I think that the compromise product that we’ve got is pretty darn good, and it pushes the administration further than I think they want to go, but that’s what they can live with,” Warner told the Post. “So we’re actually in a pretty decent spot there.”

Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., were among the bill’s co-sponsors.