Lawmakers propose USA Freedom Act to curb NSA’s powers

Dozens of lawmakers from both parties introduced legislation to rein in the National Security Agency's spying powers. The USA Freedom Act, which has 16 co-sponsors in the Senate and more than 70 in the House, would end the agency's massive phone record collection program -- one of the most controversial revelations from the leaks by Edward Snowden.

The bill was authored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-WI), the original author of the Patriot Act in 2001. In addition to ending the bulk phone record collection, the USA Freedom Act would strengthen prohibitions against targeting the communications of Americans and would require the government to more aggressively delete information accidentally collected on Americans. The bill would also require the attorney general to disclose significant court decisions related to an interpretation of law. Companies like Google, Microsoft and Facebook would be able to reveal more statistics about the information they turn over to the government.

Civil liberties groups cheered the introduction of the USA Freedom Act, saying it would help end the NSA's privacy violations. And, while the National Rifle Association, the Center for Democracy and Technology, the Constitution Project and other groups have also endorsed the bill, it is expected to face fierce opposition from the NSA's supporters in Congress, led by the top lawmakers on the House and Senate Intelligence committees.