{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/presidents-review-group-to-appear-before-sjc-next-month", "President’s Review Group To Appear Before SJC Next Month", "2013-12-22", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.22.13\n\t\t\t President\u2019s Review Group To Appear Before SJC Next Month \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Leahy Announces Jan. 14th Hearing During \u201cMeet the Press\u201d Appearance\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t WASHINGTON (Sunday, December 22, 2013) \u2013 The members of the President\u2019s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee next month to provide testimony on their recent recommendations to overhaul the government\u2019s surveillance authorities, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Sunday. This will be the Judiciary Committee\u2019s first full committee hearing in the new year.\r\n\u201cThe recommendations from the President\u2019s Review Group make clear that it is time to recalibrate our government\u2019s surveillance programs. The Judiciary Committee plays a critical role in this discussion, and that is why I have invited all members of the review group to testify publicly before our Committee next month,\u201d Leahy said in a statement, after appearing on \u201cMeet the Press\u201d to discuss the issue. \u201cMomentum is building for real reform.\u201d\r\nMembers of the Review Group will appear before the Committee on Tuesday, January 14. The White House last week released the group\u2019s recommendations to reform the nation\u2019s broad surveillance laws, a number of which align with Leahy\u2019s bipartisan USA FREEDOM Act.\u00a0 Among other things, the bill would end the bulk collection of phone records under Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act. In its lead editorial today, the New York Times highlights Leahy\u2019s bipartisan measure with Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and notes that \u201cCongress has the power to change the surveillance laws.\u201d\r\n# # # # #\r\nThe USA FREEDOM Act\r\nSeveral recommendations from the President\u2019s review group align with provisions in the bipartisan USA FREEDOM Act, a bill authored by Senator Leahy that has drawn broad support from across the political spectrum and a host of technology companies, trade associations and nonprofit organizations.\r\nThose provisions include:\r\nAn End To Bulk Collection of Americans\u2019 Communications Records\r\n \r\nThe USA FREEDOM Act ends bulk collection under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, in light of the massive intrusion on Americans\u2019 privacy and the lack of evidence of its effectiveness, and instead allows only more targeted searches.\u00a0\r\n \r\nStricter Safeguards on National Security Letters\r\n \r\nThe USA FREEDOM Act places significant limits and safeguards on the use of National Security Letters, and includes judicial review of nondisclosure orders.\r\n \r\nProtections\u00a0 For \u00a0Americans\u2019 Communications Collected Under the FISA Amendments Act\r\n \r\nThe USA FREEDOM Act closes NSA\u2019s \u201cback door\u201d access to Americans\u2019 communications by requiring a court order to search for the communications of Americans in data collected without individualized warrants under Section 702 of FISA.\r\n \r\nReforms To the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court\r\n \r\nThe USA FREEDOM Act creates a Special Advocate tasked with promoting privacy interests in the FISA Court\u2019s closed proceedings and addresses the problem of \u201csecret law\u201d by establishing a process for public release of FISA Court opinions containing significant legal interpretations.\r\n \r\nIncreased Transparency and Oversight\r\n \r\nThe USA FREEDOM Act permits Internet and telecommunications companies to report publicly basic information about their participation in NSA surveillance programs.\u00a0\r\n \r\n \r\nThe USA FREEDOM Act requires the government to provide new public reporting on FISA implementation and the use of National Security Letters.\r\n \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/presidents-review-group-to-appear-before-sjc-next-month"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9724532030522823, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}