PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.By Senator Burr from Select Committee on Intelligence filed written report. Report No. 115-182. Additional and Minority views filed.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Oct 25, 2017
FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017
This bill amends the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 to extend the Act through December 31, 2025.
The bill prohibits the intelligence community from intentionally acquiring a communication about a non-U.S. entity if the communication contains a reference to the entity but is not from or directed to that entity (this kind of communications collecting is called abouts collection) unless the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) submit to Congress a written notice of the intent to implement the authorization of such communications collection. The notice triggers a 30-day congressional review period that requires Congress to pass specific legislation in order to prohibit the authorization of such communications collection. Information obtained about a U.S. person through an abouts collection can only be used against that U.S. person for specified criminal proceedings.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
The bill allows the FISA court's amici curiae (lawyers who argue against the government's FISA requests) to participate in matters pertaining to abouts collection.
DOJ and the ODNI must create procedures and keep records pertaining to queries, which are searches done with data the government already acquired and use a specific search term for the purpose of discovering or retrieving content or metadata.
The bill exempts the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board from certain open meetings laws.
The penalty for the unauthorized removal of classified documents or materials is increased to up to 10 years in prison.
People & committees
Sen. Burr, Richard [R-NC] · R–NC
Legislative record
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By Senator Burr from Select Committee on Intelligence filed written report. Report No. 115-182. Additional and Minority views filed.
By Senator Burr from Select Committee on Intelligence filed written report. Report No. 115-182. Additional and Minority views filed.
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 252.
Select Committee on Intelligence. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Burr. Without written report.
Select Committee on Intelligence. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Burr. Without written report.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Apr 7, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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