Senate delays vote on surveillance bill until July

(6/27) To the relief of vacationing Headliners everywhere, the Senate delayed a vote on a controversial surveillance bill that would allow a US National Security Agency spying program to continue and would likely result in the dismissal of dozens of lawsuits against telecom carriers that participated in the program. On June 27, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced the Senate will take up the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act when it returns from a week-long recess for the Independence Day holiday. The Senate will debate the bill July 8, with three amendments allowed. Several Democrats will likely push for an amendment that would take out the section of the bill that would likely lead to the dismissal of more than 40 lawsuits against telecom carriers that allegedly participated in the NSA program. Sen Barack Obama writes, "I also believe that the compromise bill is far better than the Protect America Act that I voted against last year. The exclusivity provision makes it clear to any president or telecommunications company that no law supersedes the authority of the FISA court. In a dangerous world, government must have the authority to collect the intelligence we need to protect the American people. But in a free society, that authority cannot be unlimited. As I've said many times, an independent monitor must watch the watchers to prevent abuses and to protect the civil liberties of the American people. This compromise law assures that the FISA court has that responsibility. The Inspectors General report also provides a real mechanism for accountability and should not be discounted."
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/06/27/Senate_delays_vote_on_surveill...