NSA Internal Watchdog Act

Bill: 113-hr-4533
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Cooper, Jim [D-TN-5]
Introduced: 2014-04-30
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Congressional oversight

Evidence and witnesses

Executive agency funding and structure

Federal officials

Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Government ethics and transparency, public corruption

Government studies and investigations

Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information

Lawyers and legal services

National Security Agency

Public contracts and procurement
Latest action: action_date: 2014-07-21
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

Summaries:
action_date: 2014-04-30
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>NSA Internal Watchdog Act - Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to require the President to appoint, with advice and consent of the Senate, the Inspector General of the National Security Agency (NSA). (Currently, the NSA Inspector General is appointed by the NSA Director.)</p> <p>Directs the Inspector General to include in an annual report to Congress a review of the mechanisms for NSA employees or contractors to submit complaints.</p> <p>Establishes a General Counsel to the NSA Inspector General, to be appointed by the Inspector General.</p> <p>Requires the General Counsel to prescribe professional rules of ethics and responsibilities for NSA employees, officers, and contractors. </p> <p> Authorizes the Inspector General, after providing the Attorney General (DOJ) with seven days' advance notice, to subpoena the attendance and testimony of former NSA employees or NSA contractors, former contractors, or former detailees. </p> <p>Requires the Inspector General to provide Congress with an evaluation of any notice or statement of reasons the Inspector General receives from the Secretary of Defense (DOD) regarding the Secretary's exercise of authority in the interest of national security to prohibit the Inspector General from initiating, carrying out, or completing any audit or investigation.</p> <p>Directs the Inspector General, in carrying out any audit or investigation of a surveillance or data collection program, to assess the impact of such program on civil rights and liberties.</p> <p>Requires the Inspector General's reports to Congress to be made available to all Members of Congress. </p> <p>Directs the Inspector General to audit and report to Congress regarding the effectiveness and use (including improper or illegal use) of NSA surveillance and data collection programs, including programs under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) that authorize: (1) the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to submit applications to the FISA court for an order requiring the production of tangible things (commonly referred to as business records, including books, records, papers, documents, and other items); and (2) the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), with the approval of the FISA court or under exigent circumstances, to authorize the targeting of persons located outside the United States.</p> <p>Requires such audit to address: (1) the interactions between the NSA and the FISA court, and (2) the process for conducting background investigations of persons for NSA employment or for receiving access to classified information.</p>

tv_txt: I 113th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 4533 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 30, 2014 Mr. Cooper (for himself, Mr. Smith of Texas , and Mr. Himes ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform , and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary and Select Intelligence (Permanent Select) , 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 A BILL To amend the Inspector General Act of 1978 to provide for the Inspector General of the National Security Agency to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the NSA Internal Watchdog Act . 2. Inspector General of the National Security Agency (a) Elevation of Inspector General status The Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended— (1) in section 8G(a)(2), by striking the National Security Agency, ; and (2) in section 12— (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting the National Security Agency, after the Federal Emergency Management Agency, ; and (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting the National Security Agency, after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, . (b) Date of appointment Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall nominate a person for appointment, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, as Inspector General of the National Security Agency under section 3(a) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) consistent with the amendments made by subsection (a). (c) Transition rule An individual serving as Inspector General of the National Security Agency on the date of the enactment of this Act pursuant to an appointment made under section 8G of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.)— (1) may continue so serving until the President makes an appointment under section 3(a) of such Act with respect to the National Security Agency consistent with the amendments made by subsection (a); and (2) shall, while serving under paragraph (1), remain subject to the provisions of section 8G of such Act that, immediately before the date of the enactment of this Act, applied with respect to the Inspector General of the National Security Agency and suffer no reduction in pay. 3. Annual review of mechanisms for reporting employee or contractor complaints Section 8H(g)(1) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (E) In the case of the Inspector General of the National Security Agency, a review of the mechanisms for submitting complaints that are available to an employee of or contractor to the National Security Agency and any recommendations of the Inspector General for improving such mechanisms. . 4. Special provisions concerning the National Security Agency The Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by inserting after section 8J the following new section: 8K. Special provisions concerning the National Security Agency (a) General counsel to the Inspector General (1) In general There is a General Counsel to the Inspector General of the National Security Agency, who shall be appointed by the Inspector General of the National Security Agency. (2) Duties The General Counsel to the Inspector General of the National Security Agency shall— (A) serve as the chief legal officer of the Office of the Inspector General of the National Security Agency; (B) provide legal services only to the Inspector General of the National Security Agency; (C) prescribe professional rules of ethics and responsibilities for employees and officers of, and contractors to, the National Security Agency; (D) perform such functions as the Inspector General may prescribe; and (E) serve at the discretion of the Inspector General. (3) Office of the General Counsel There is an Office of the General Counsel to the Inspector General of the National Security Agency. The Inspector General may appoint to the Office to serve as staff of the General Counsel such legal counsel as the Inspector General considers appropriate. (b) Testimony (1) Authority to compel The Inspector General of the National Security Agency is authorized to require by subpoena the attendance and testimony of former employees of the National Security Agency or contractors, former contractors, or former detailees to the National Security Agency as necessary in the performance of functions assigned to the Inspector General by this Act. (2) Refusal to obey A subpoena issued under this subsection, in the case of contumacy or refusal to obey, shall be enforceable by order of any appropriate United States district court. (3) Notification The Inspector General shall notify the Attorney General 7 days before issuing any subpoena under this section. (c) Prohibitions on investigations for national security reasons (1) Evaluations of prohibitions Not later than 7 days after the date on which the Inspector General of the National Security Agency receives notice or a statement under section 8G(d)(2)(C) of the reasons the Secretary of Defense is prohibiting the Inspector General from initiating, carrying out, or completing any audit or investigation, the Inspector General shall submit to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate an evaluation of such notice or such statement. (2) Inclusion in semi-annual report The Inspector General shall include in the semiannual report prepared by the Inspector General in accordance with section 5(a) a description of the instances in which the Secretary of Defense prohibited the Inspector General from initiating, carrying out, or completing any audit or investigation during the period covered by such report. (d) Standard for audits and investigations In carrying out any audit or investigation of a surveillance or data collection program, the Inspector General shall— (1) assess the impact of such program on civil rights and civil liberties; (2) assess the effectiveness and use, including any improper or illegal use, of such program; and (3) make any recommendations the Inspector General considers appropriate to improve the protection of civil rights and civil liberties in the operation of such program. (e) Availability of reports (1) Availability Each report to Congress or a committee of Congress by the Inspector General shall be made available to all Members of Congress. (2) Member of Congress defined In this subsection, the term Member of Congress means a Senator, a Member of the House of Representatives, or a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress. . 5. Audit of surveillance programs and background investigations (a) Audit The Inspector General of the National Security Agency appointed under section 3(a) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) consistent with the amendments made by section 2(a) of this Act shall perform a comprehensive audit of— (1) the effectiveness and use, including any improper or illegal use, of surveillance and data collection programs of the National Security Agency, including programs conducted pursuant to sections 501 and 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 ( 50 U.S.C. 1861 , 1881a); (2) the interactions between the National Security Agency and the court established under section 103(a) of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (50 U.S.C. 1803(a)), including the accuracy of the information provided to such court by the Agency and the compliance of the Agency with orders of such court; and (3) the process for conducting background investigations of persons for purposes of employment or potential employment by the National Security Agency or for receiving access to classified information. (b) Report Not later than 180 days after the date on which the Inspector General of the National Security Agency is appointed under section 3(a) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) consistent with the amendments made by section 2(a) of this Act, the Inspector General of the National Security Agency shall submit to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate a report containing the results of the audit conducted under subsection (a). (c) Rule of construction Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to alter the responsibility of the Inspector General of the National Security Agency to conduct audits or investigations of the surveillance programs of the National Security Agency and the background investigation process for employment or access to classified information on an ongoing basis in accordance with the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.).