Bill to overhaul Patriot Act receives bipartisan support

The bill would overhaul the Patriot Act.

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last updated 1 May 2015

The House Judiciary Committee passed a bill Thursday that would end the Patriot Act's "metadata surveillance" programs, which were initially revealed by Edward Snowden, The New York Times reports.

The Times notes that an "identical" bill is also gaining bipartisan support in the Senate, despite the objection of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R). The bills propose that the Patriot Act be changed to prohibit the "bulk collection" of phone and internet records. Government intelligence agencies would instead have to obtain the records from phone companies after approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court. The bill also proposes the government create an expert panel to advise the FISA court on privacy and civil liberties.

The Patriot Act expires on June 1, the Times notes, and "pressure from technology companies and a push from the White House" are increasing the likelihood that it will be overhauled.