Sen McConnell Introduces Short-Term Reauthorization of Patriot Act

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced fast-track legislation that would extend without changes the expiring surveillance authorities of the Patriot Act until July 31 of 2015. Majority Leader McConnell also invoked the so-called fast-track procedure on a reform measure that passed the House this week. Both bills will be eligible for consideration on the Senate floor when the chamber returns on May 18. The fast-track maneuvers, which bypass normal committee consideration, are being deployed because the surveillance authorities in question are due to expire June 1 unless Congress acts. Those provisions include Section 215, which the National Security Agency uses to justify its bulk collection of US phone records -- a program exposed publicly by Edward Snowden nearly two years ago.

The move marks a departure from Majority Leader McConnell's introduction last April of a measure that would extend the expiring provisions until December 2020. By introducing a short-term clean reauthorization in addition to the House-passed reform measure known as the USA Freedom Act, Majority Leader McConnell may be seeking to forge some sort of compromise between the two measures. Majority Leader McConnell's bill introductions now mean there are three pieces of legislation that will be before the Senate as it attempts to figure out a way forward before the June 1 sunset: the Freedom Act, a 5-year clean extension, and the bill offering a clean extension until July 31.