Senate panel OKs modest surveillance reforms

The Senate Intelligence Committee approved a set of modest surveillance reforms in an effort supporters of the measure hope will head off other bids to effectively shut down the telephone call-tracking program revealed by National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

The intelligence panel voted 11-4 to approve its reform package at a closed meeting that followed two other closed markup sessions earlier this week. The text of the committee bill was not immediately released, nor were the identities of those who voted for and against the measure. However, a summary released by the panel largely tracks with the outlines Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) had given previously of her proposed reforms. Feinstein’s measure would largely convert court-imposed limits on the call-tracking program into statutory requirements. Some new limits would be added, like a requirement that the justification for every query of the database be provided after the fact to the federal court which oversees the program. In addition, a five-year limit on the retention of data would be imposed by law, with records older than three years accessible only with the approval of the attorney general.