A bill to implement reforms relating to foreign intelligence surveillance authorities, protections relating to warrantless queries for the communications of United States persons, and for other purposes.
Sponsored By: Senator Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced
Summary
Tighter limits on warrantless queries of communications involving covered persons and people located in the United States, and new rules that force agencies to log and justify every targeted query and access. It would also extend the repeal date for Title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments by nine months to March 12, 2027, with an effective date set at the earlier of enactment or June 11, 2026.
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- Individuals: Narrows when agencies can query or view communications tied to covered persons or people in the United States. Access is allowed only under narrow exceptions such as concurrent authorization, consent, emergency, or defensive cybersecurity and must include a facts-based justification.
- Agencies and oversight: Creates special court and congressional review paths, requires annual compliance assessments by the Attorney General, and mandates a report to Congress within 90 days about meeting the new query-recording rules.
- Records and systems: Requires detailed electronic logs for every query and every access that record date, requester or accessor identifier, terms used, and a justification. Agency heads must ensure attribution for automated queries and accesses.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Limits on warrantless searches of your communications
This bill would sharply limit when federal agents can query communications collected under Section 702 without a warrant. Queries would generally have to be reasonably likely to find foreign intelligence and have a significant foreign intelligence purpose. Warrantless access to results would be barred except for a court order, consent, a narrow life-or-death emergency, or tightly limited cybersecurity defenses. Agencies would have to create an electronic record for every query listing the search terms, date, requester ID, and facts justifying the query, and a record for every access showing the accessor, date, and legal basis. The FBI and agencies would have to report emergency or defensive accesses to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and key congressional and Judiciary committees within seven days. The Attorney General would have to assess compliance at least annually. These rules would take effect on enactment.
Delay end of foreign surveillance authority
This bill would push back the scheduled repeal date for Title VII foreign intelligence authorities (commonly called Section 702). The repeal date would move from June 12, 2026 to March 12, 2027. The change would take effect on the earlier of enactment or June 11, 2026. If enacted, Section 702 collection and its legal framework would remain available through March 12, 2027 unless further changed.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
OR • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov