Hoyer hopeful on FISA resolution

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said Wednesday he remains hopeful that the House and Senate can finish the contentious overhaul of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) this week. The House could vote on the bill Friday. The compromise, which is being finalized behind closed doors, attempts to split the difference over the hot-button issue of whether telephone companies deserve retroactive immunity for assisting in government surveillance after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. According to people familiar with the draft, the language gives federal district courts a role in determining whether companies should be given immunity for the role they played in eavesdropping on telephone calls.
http://thehill.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=74225&Itemid=70