House Refuses to Bring Up Surveillance Bill

Congressional Quarterly:
House Republicans tried again Tuesday to force a floor vote on Senate-passed legislation to overhaul the nation's electronic surveillance law. But Democrats stood fast, insisting that negotiations continue between the House and Senate on a compromise version of the legislation. By 212-198, the House quashed the Republican effort on a procedural vote. Democrats are working on a compromise with an eye toward House floor action before the two-week spring recess next month. The main sticking point remains whether to grant retroactive legal immunity to telecommunications firms that aided the government’s warrantless surveillance of Americans for more than five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Posted by Editor at February 27, 2008 03:02 AM