Protect America Act of 2007
Official title: A bill to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to provide additional procedures for authorizing certain acquisitions of foreign intelligence information and for other purposes.
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| Date | Chamber | What was voted on | Result | Yes–No | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 2007 | House · vote #836 | On Passage | Passed | 227–183 | See who voted → |
| Aug 3, 2007 | Senate · vote #309 | On Passage of the Bill S. 1927 | Passed | 60–28 | See who voted → |
Amendments propose changes to this bill. Members vote on amendments separately before the final bill vote. An agreed amendment becomes part of the bill; a failed amendment does not.
1 agreed to
| Amendment | Sponsor | Status |
|---|---|---|
| SAMDT 2,649 | McConnell, Mitch | Agreed to |
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Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.
(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on August 3, 2007. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Protect America Act of 2007 - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to state that nothing under its definition of "electronic surveillance" shall be construed to encompass surveillance directed at a person reasonably believed to be located outside the United States.
Allows the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the Attorney General (AG), for periods up to one year, to authorize the acquisition of foreign intelligence information concerning persons outside the United States if the DNI and AG determine that: (1) there are reasonable procedures in place for determining that such acquisition concerns persons outside the United States, and such procedures will be subject to review by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (Court); (2) the acquisition does not constitute electronic surveillance; (3) the acquisition involves obtaining foreign intelligence information from or with the assistance of a communication service provider or other person who has access to communications; (4) a significant purpose of the acquisition is to obtain foreign intelligence information; and (5) the minimization procedures (procedures to ensure the smallest level of privacy intrusion while obtaining such information) to be used meet the definition of minimization procedures under FISA. Requires such determination to be certified and submitted to the Court.
Requires the AG to report to: (1) the Court the procedures by which the government determines that such acquisitions do not constitute electronic surveillance; and (2) the congressional intelligence and judiciary committees semiannually concerning acquisitions made during the previous six-month period.
Terminates this Act 180 days after its enactment. Makes authorizations for the acquisition of information made by this Act, and directives issued pursuant to such authorizations, effective until their expiration.
- Engrossed in Senate Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
- Enrolled Bill Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
- Placed on Calendar Senate Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
- Public Law Formatted Text PDF
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1927: Protect America Act of 2007. 110th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/110-S-1927/
"S. 1927: Protect America Act of 2007." 110th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/110-S-1927/.
S. 1927, 110th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/110-S-1927/.
[S. 1927: Protect America Act of 2007](https://openamerica.io/bill/110-S-1927/)