{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s139-115/featured_rapid-dna-act-of-2017-1517123006.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s139-115/featured_large_rapid-dna-act-of-2017-1517123006.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s139-115.png"},"introduced_on":"2017-01-12","title_override":"Reforming & Reauthorizing Surveillance Under FISA Section 702 Through 2023","summary_override":"(Updated 1/8/2018): This bill was co-opted through the amendment process to serve as the legislative vehicle for a six-year reauthorization of surveillance activities under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Originally the bill required the FBI to develop standards for using Rapid DNA tests to examine criminal evidence and reduce the backlog of untested DNA evidence. The summary of the bill in its current form can be found below.

This bill would extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) — including Section 702 — for four years, replacing the current sunset date of December 31, 2017 with a new sunset date of December 31, 2023. It would also temporarily codify into law the NSA’s ban on collection of “abouts” communication regarding a target until the government develops new procedures and briefs congressional judiciary and intelligence committees about them. Additionally, the bill would overhaul the “unmasking” process to safeguard the identities of American citizens.

The ban on “abouts” collection would continue until the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) approves new procedures and congressional intelligence and judiciary committees have 30 days to review it. When the FISC reviews the first Section 702 certification that reconstitutes “abouts” collection an amici curiae (impartial legal advisor) would be appointed to ensure the procedures are adhered to.

The federal government would be prohibited from using information gathered under Section 702 in a criminal case against a U.S. person unless:

The FBI obtained an order from the FISC to view Section 702 communications after querying its data for criminal purposes;
The Attorney General approved the use of Section 702 collection in a criminal case against a U.S. person and the crime is national security-related or a specified severe crime, like murder or kidnapping.

Specific procedures for querying FISA Section 702 data would be established and reviewed annually by the FISC. So-called “minimization procedures”, which are used to protect the personal information of Americans whose communications are collected, would undergo a declassification review and be published after the review is complete.

The penalty for unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material would be increased from one year to five years imprisonment.

","official_title":"An Act to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to improve foreign intelligence collection and the safeguards, accountability, and oversight of acquisitions of foreign intelligence, to extend title VII of such Act, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Rapid DNA Act of 2017","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the Senate reported version is repeated here.)\n\nRapid DNA Act of 2017\n\n(Sec. 2) This bill amends the DNA Identification Act of 1994 to require the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to issue standards and procedures for using Rapid DNA instruments to analyze DNA samples of criminal offenders.\n\nRapid DNA instruments carry out a fully automated process to create a DNA analysis from a DNA sample.\n\nDNA samples prepared by criminal justice agencies using Rapid DNA instruments in compliance the FBI-issued standards and procedures may be included in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).\n\n(Sec. 3) The bill amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to allow the FBI to waive certain existing requirements if a DNA sample is analyzed using Rapid DNA instruments and the results are included in CODIS.","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Americans whose information is gathered by intelligence agencies under FISA Section 702; intelligence agencies; the FISC; and Congress.","argument_for":"This bill will reauthorize a critical tool used by intelligence agencies to thwart terror attacks along with implementing reforms aimed at protecting the personal information of law-abiding Americans.","argument_against":"While this bill’s surveillance reforms aimed at protecting Americans’ personal information are appreciated, they don’t go far enough. 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Make your voice heard about the issues you care about.","page_title":"US Armed forces and Defense related Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/defense/black_defense-1429042040.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/defense/grey_defense-1429042040.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/defense/white_defense-1429042040.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"Kathryn","vote_count":275,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/zm813yp9/large_zm813yp9-1485978706.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/zm813yp9/small_zm813yp9-1485978706.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/zm813yp9/tiny_zm813yp9-1485978706.jpg","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/1224720497583935/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/zm813yp9/following","followers":"/api/users/zm813yp9/followers"},"about_me":"Author of HELL HEAVEN & IN-BETWEEN: One Woman's Journey to Finding Love, an avid traveler, backpacker, artist and literary enthusiast, Kathryn Hurn is also a 30+-year fitness professional and yoga teacher. She has two grown sons and lives in Santa Fe, NM.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":15,"is_following":null,"influence_score":660,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":17,"following_count":0,"position_count":202,"id":"zm813yp9","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"e4843a72-2d60-48ef-8bd5-c0e816c579c4","argument_for":null,"argument_against":"No spying on Americans! This bill defies the purpose of government stated in the Constitution’s preamble, to ensure the well-being of its citizens. How about you get busy on that instead of this rubbish.","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":0,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/e4843a72-2d60-48ef-8bd5-c0e816c579c4"},"body":"No spying on Americans! This bill defies the purpose of government stated in the Constitution’s preamble, to ensure the well-being of its citizens. How about you get busy on that instead of this rubbish.","stance":"nay","created_at":"2018-01-19T15:38:09.818Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/e4843a72-2d60-48ef-8bd5-c0e816c579c4.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"s139-115","user_id":"zm813yp9","endorser_ids":[]}}

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Reforming & Reauthorizing Surveillance Under FISA Section 702 Through 2023