Press Releases

Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after voting for the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017:

“I believe this measure achieves the delicate balance of prioritizing national security interests while ensuring the privacy of everyday Americans. FISA Section 702 is a critical tool to keep our homeland safe from terrorism, and this bill reauthorizes this vital program while protecting the constitutional and individual privacy rights of U.S. citizens. I’m committed to working closely with my colleagues in Congress to ensure sensitive information concerning our national security is kept secure, while constitutional freedoms for all Americans are protected.”

Background:

The FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017, S. 139, reauthorizes Section 702 (set to expire on January 19, 2018), which permits the government to target non-U.S. persons located outside the United States for surveillance for the purpose of acquiring foreign intelligence information. This is to occur while protecting the constitutional and privacy interest of any U.S. person whose information may be incidentally acquired during the collection activity.