Sponsor
Clay Higgins
Representative · R-LA
Representative · R-LA
The bill preserves core Section 702 surveillance authorities and short-term operational continuity while adding procedural limits, oversight, and legal protections to reduce improper U.S. person surveillance—trading some intelligence agility and added administrative burden for stronger privacy safeguards and increased congressional review.
Federal intelligence and law-enforcement agencies keep Title VII (Section 702) surveillance authorities for three more years, preserving ongoing foreign-intelligence collection and preventing a sudden loss of authorities that could disrupt operations.
U.S. persons and defendants gain stronger legal and procedural protections—intentional targeting of U.S. persons will require probable cause or a warrant, ingestion of overseas-acquired data is limited to predicated national-security targets, and unlawfully acquired Section 702 information is excluded from criminal prosecutions—reducing risk of improper surveillance and protecting evidence and due
Congressional oversight and transparency of FISC-related activity are strengthened: Members/staff are guaranteed access to FISC and FISC of Review proceedings, GAO will audit Section 702 targeting within a year, and a 60‑day timeline forces replacement of prior procedures—giving lawmakers independent review and faster restoration of oversight rights.
People communicating internationally and other non-U.S. parties face prolonged exposure to expanded electronic surveillance because the bill extends Section 702 authorities for three more years, delaying expiration-driven reforms and any broader privacy safeguards.
New procedural limits (probable-cause requirement for intentional targeting and fewer authorized approvers) and ingestion restrictions could reduce the speed, scope, or agility of signals-intelligence and counterintelligence operations, potentially delaying time‑sensitive investigations.
The bill increases administrative complexity and bottlenecks—requiring AG/DNI procedures, concentrating approver authority, and expanding Member/staff access—creating extra workload, possible security/handling complications for classified material, and risks from a rushed 60‑day implementation deadline.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Extends Section 702 sunset to 2029, imposes a probable‑cause requirement for targeting U.S. persons under Section 702, narrows FBI query approvals, requires new FISC access procedures, and orders a GAO audit.
Official title: To amend the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 to extend the authorities of title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 through April 20, 2029, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 27, 2026 by Clay Higgins · Last progress April 27, 2026
Extends the sunset for Title VII (Section 702) authorities from April 30, 2026 to April 20, 2029 while imposing new legal limits and oversight on how Section 702 is used. It requires probable cause and a warrant-like standard before intentionally targeting the communications of a United States person under Section 702, narrows who can approve FBI queries of U.S. person query terms, requires new Member/staff access procedures for FISC proceedings, and directs a GAO audit of Section 702 targeting procedures. The bill also bans use in criminal prosecutions of information about U.S. persons obtained in violation of the new targeting standard, preserves other existing authorities to seek warrants or court orders, and sets a near-term effective date (the earlier of enactment or April 29, 2026) for the sunset-date change.