Terrorist Surveillance Act of 2006

Bill: 109-s-2455
Sponsor: Sen. DeWine, Mike [R-OH]
Introduced: 2006-03-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Armed Forces and National Security
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Congress
Congressional committees (House)
Congressional committees (Senate)
Congressional oversight
Congressional reorganization
Congressional reporting requirements
Courts of special jurisdiction
Criminal investigation
Electronic surveillance
Freedom of association
Freedom of speech
Government Operations and Politics
House Intelligence
Information leaking
International Affairs
Law
President and foreign policy
Presidential powers
Senate Intelligence
Terrorism
Warrants (Law)

Summary:
action_date: 2006-03-16
text: 
Terrorist Surveillance Act of 2006 - Allows the President to authorize a Terrorist Surveillance Program (Program) of electronic surveillance without a court order for periods of up to 45 days if: (1) the President determines that the surveillance is necessary to protect the United States, its citizens, or its interests, whether inside or outside the United States; (2) there is probable cause to believe that a surveillance subject is an agent or member of a group or organization on the Terrorist Surveillance List (established in this Act); (3) the surveillance is initiated and conducted in a manner reasonably designed to acquire only communications to or from the United States where at least one party to the surveillance is located outside the United States, or the communications appear to originate or terminate outside the United States; (4) there is not a substantial likelihood that the surveillance will acquire the substance of any communication where every party thereto is located within the United States; and (5) procedures are in place for the minimization of privacy infringement standards outlined under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978.
 
Directs the President to establish and maintain a Terrorist Surveillance List.
 
Requires the Attorney General: (1) after the end of each Program period, to review and recommend to the President whether the program should be reauthorized; and (2) to review the surveillance of individual targets within the United States under each Program.
 
Provides for the creation of Senate and House intelligence subcommittees to oversee and monitor surveillance conducted by the President under each Program. Requires regular subcommittee reports to the full intelligence committees.
 
Amends federal criminal law to provide criminal penalties for the unauthorized disclosure of information collected under each Program.

action_date: 2006-09-13
text: 

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

 
Terrorist Surveillance Act of 2006 - Allows the President to authorize a Terrorist Surveillance Program (Program) of electronic surveillance without a court order for periods of up to 45 days if: (1) the President determines that the surveillance is necessary to protect the United States, its citizens, or its interests, whether inside or outside the United States; (2) there is probable cause to believe that a surveillance subject is an agent or member of a group or organization on the Terrorist Surveillance List (established in this Act); (3) the surveillance is initiated and conducted in a manner reasonably designed to acquire only communications to or from the United States where at least one party to the surveillance is located outside the United States, or the communications appear to originate or terminate outside the United States; (4) there is not a substantial likelihood that the surveillance will acquire the substance of any communication where every party thereto is located within the United States; (5) a significant purpose of the surveillance is to obtain foreign intelligence information; and (6) procedures are in place for the minimization of privacy infringement standards outlined under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA). Requires the Attorney General (AG) to establish such minimization procedures within 30 days after the enactment of this Act, and to update such procedures at least annually.
 
Directs the President to establish and maintain a Terrorist Surveillance List.
 
Requires the AG: (1) after the end of each Program period, to review and recommend to the President whether the program should be reauthorized; and (2) to review the surveillance of individual targets within the United States under each Program. Authorizes, as an alternative to surveillance under a Program, continued court-ordered surveillance under FISA.
 
Provides for the creation of Senate and House intelligence subcommittees to oversee and monitor surveillance conducted by the President under each Program. Requires: (1) the President to submit to the intelligence committees a current Terrorist Surveillance List, a report on the management and operational details of each Program, and semiannual reports on surveillance conducted under each Program; and (2) the subcommittees to prepare annual reports on each Program conducted.
 
Amends federal criminal law to provide criminal penalties for the unauthorized disclosure of information collected under each Program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-09-13
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 607.
action_date: 2006-09-13
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Specter without amendment. Without written report.
action_date: 2006-09-13
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Specter without amendment. Without written report.
action_date: 2006-09-13
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2006-08-02
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.
action_date: 2006-04-27
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Committee consideration and Mark Up Session held.
action_date: 2006-03-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2006-03-16
text: Introduced in Senate