On the recordMay 22, 2014
The definition of ``specific selection term'' includes a phrase pursuant to the statute authorizing the provision of information, and that is intended to keep the definition within the four corners of the statute. There will now be an amicus in the court to argue that expansive readings of this text--like the reading that took ``relevance'' in section 215 to mean ``all call detail records''--are inconsistent with the plain meaning of the law. Under this bill, any FISA Court opinion that interprets this definition must be declassified and released to the public within 45 days. If the government tries to expand this authority, the public will know it in short order. The House is poised to approve the first significant rollback of any aspect of government surveillance since the passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in 1978. We must seize this opportunity. If this bill is not approved today, we are giving our intelligence people and NSA a green light to go ahead, and I cannot imagine that happening in this body. I support H.R. 3361 and yield back the balance of my time.
