The government’s authority to collect bulk records on American’s phone calls expires at midnight Sunday. Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin says the Senate should approve a House plan with limits on how much information the government may collect on Americans.
The Senate returns late Sunday afternoon, giving it just hours to act. Republicans, including Missouri’s Roy Blunt and Illinois’ Mark Kirk want to keep the current bulk collection law in full. Even the part a federal court in New York says is illegal.
The House approved a version that shifts control of some records to phone companies. Durbin says the House bill protects privacy rights without risking national security.
“We don’t want to limit it to the point where it endangers us, so, we went and asked the professionals; the intelligence agencies and the Department of Justice, is this new version of the law enough to keep America safe and they came back to us and said, yes.”
Durbin and Missouri Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill support the House bill. So far, neither measure has enough votes to pass.
