Treadwell: Congress Finally Passes Critical National Security Bill

Sandy Treadwell, Republican candidate for the 20^th Congressional District, said a key national security bill passed today by the House of Representatives, after months of delay, is the right action to protect our nation against potential terrorist attacks.

The bipartisan bill, if passed by the U.S. Senate and signed by the President, would extend the government's ability to monitor the communications of suspected foreign terrorists and also grant retroactive immunity for telecommunications firms that have assisted the government in these surveillance efforts after September 11, 2001.

"I am pleased that Congress finally recognized the importance of passing a strong surveillance bill that will protect our nation and our citizens," Treadwell said. "The political games that have delayed passage of the bill for months were shameless. I am glad that House Democrats have finally abandoned this strategy and signed onto a bipartisan, commonsense bill that will become law."

One of the key provisions of the bill will shield telecoms from lawsuits and lead to the dismissal of more than 40 cases that have been brought against these firms. Democratic House leaders and members like Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand had refused to support a bipartisan bill passed by the Senate on Feb. 14, 2008 - more than four months ago - because they objected to the immunity provision. Only yesterday did they finally agree to drop this demand.

"The telecom companies that helped our government with critical terrorist surveillance should never have been subject to frivolous lawsuits," Treadwell said. "It is a disgrace it has taken Congress this long to provide the necessary protection to these companies who assisted our nation after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks."

The Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was first enacted in 1978 and needs to be updated to allow our nation to effectively track foreign-to-foreign terrorist communications. A temporary measure, the Protect America Act, that extended FISA and closed certain loopholes, was passed in August 2007. Rep. Gillibrand voted against this bill.

"I have urged passage of a strong FISA bill for months, but have watched House Democrats, including Congresswoman Gillibrand, block this vital legislation," Treadwell said. "This is another example of what is wrong with Washington."

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