Freedom Act
The Freedom Act, formally known as Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act and generally known as USA FREEDOM Act, extended the USA PATRIOT Act.
Contents
Description
The act re-authorizes roving wiretaps (which had originated in the USA PATRIOT Act) and provisions covering lone wolf terrorists (which had originated in an amendment to the USA PATRIOT Act in 2004).
The act does impose some restrictions on powers previously authorized. These largely address Title II; see the restrictions on warrantless surveillance procedures of FISA.
History
Obama pushed the act to re-authorize surveillance provisions that had lapsed.
An earlier draft of the act was debated in 2014, passed in the House, but ultimately failed to pass in the Senate before elections.
It was re-introduced in April 2015 and rapidly passed in the House. The Senate finally passed it in June.