Two U.S. Congressmen, including U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., have received broad stakeholder support for a bill they introduced last week that would limit government collection of phone records and require greater transparency and accountability from domestic surveillance organizations, Sensenbrenner said in a press release Friday.
The purpose of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ending Eavesdropping Act is to limit data collection by the National Security Agency and other government agencies, according to Sensenbrenner’s website.
The bill has over 100 co-sponsors in the House and Senate, according to the release, as well as support from organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Rifle Association, and several technology companies including Microsoft and Apple.
Sensenbrenner and Rep. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., released a joint statement saying the breadth of support for the bill suggests Americans’ privacy rights transcends party divide.
Sensenbrenner and Leahy said in the statement they are committed to a bipartisan effort to “restore confidence in our intelligence community and protect the privacy rights of our citizens.”
