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President Signs Spying Bill Into Law
Last week President Bush signed into a law a new bill that says how much right the government has to spy on people. The bill is called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act or FISA. It replaces a law enacted by President Bush after the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Back then the government, with the secret help of some telephone companies, began spying on people.
The new law that Congress passed is a compromise. It tries to give the government authority to spy, but also tries to protect people's right to privacy. For example, under the new law the government can spy on a group of people if there is an emergency. But within seven days it must get permission from the courts to keep spying on those people.
One of the most controversial parts of FISA gives immunity to telephone companies that broke the law in the past to help the government spy. They cannot be tried for any crimes they committed. Supporters of the bill felt it was important to protect these companies who were part of the fight against terrorism.
But not everyone agrees. After President Bush signed the bill into law, an organization called the American Civil Liberties Union challenged it. They say it violates the protections of the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Will the law be ruled unconstitutional? Stay tuned.
I'm Ben and that's what happened in our nation this week.
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