WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye today joined the overwhelming majority of his colleagues in voting to pass a bill to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to establish a procedure for authorizing certain acquisitions of foreign intelligence, and for other purposes. The vote was 72 to 26.  

“I voted for the FISA bill because it protects our freedoms and liberties, while at the same time provides our intelligence agencies with the capabilities and tools they require to protect us in the post-9/11 world,” Senator Inouye said.  

“While most of the debate has centered on whether liability protection should or should not be offered to telecommunications companies that cooperated with the Administration, the bill expands protections to Americans to when they are out of the United States, and it increases the oversight role of the FISA Court to include court approval of procedures that ensure the non-retention of personal information incidentally collected.  

“Moreover, I believe that when the Administration sought the cooperation of our nation’s telecommunications companies, the telecom firms acted in good faith, and believed that the cooperation the Administration sought was within the boundaries of our legal system. They should not be penalized for their willingness to assist in our common defense.”

 

 

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