5 Things to Know About the #USAFreedomAct

Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) discusses five things to know about the USA Freedom Act (H.R. 2048) in the video below. This strong, bipartisan legislation ends bulk collection of data, prevents government overreach, strengthens protections for civil liberties, increases government transparency, and keeps Americans safe. It was overwhelmingly approved by the House of Representatives yesterday by a vote of 338-88. 

Transcript of Chairman Goodlatte’s remarks:

Hi, this is Bob Goodlatte. Almost two years ago, we learned that the National Security Agency was collecting in bulk Americans’ telephone records. To end this assault on Americans’ civil liberties, the House of Representatives has passed a strong, bipartisan bill, the USA Freedom Act. This bill reforms our intelligence-gathering programs so that they operate in a manner that reflects core American values. Here are five things you need to know about this bill.

Number One: The USA Freedom Act ends bulk collection of any business records, pure and simple.

Number Two: The USA Freedom Act prevents government overreach by strengthening the definition used to prohibit bulk collection. This ensures that the government cannot engage in large-scale, indiscriminate collection, such as data from an entire state, city, or even zip code.

Number Three: The USA Freedom Act strengthens protections for civil liberties. For example, it creates a panel of legal experts on matters of privacy and civil liberties to advise the court reviewing the government’s requests for information. 

Number Four: The USA Freedom Act increases government transparency. It requires all significant court opinions dealing with these intelligence-gathering programs to be made available to the American people. Additionally, it requires the government to provide the public with detailed information about how it uses certain national security programs. It also allows telecommunications companies to report even more information about the requests they receive from the government.

And Number Five: The USA Freedom Act keeps America safe. For example, it closes loopholes that make it difficult for the government to track foreign terrorists, such as members of ISIL, as they enter and leave the U.S.

To learn more about the USA Freedom Act, visit judiciary.house.gov.