The legal authority enabling the National Security Agency's bulk telephone metadata collection program that Edward Snowden exposed two years ago is set to expire June 1. But not if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others have their way.

The Republican from Kentucky introduced the legislation (PDF) late Tuesday that would allow the once-secret program, authorized by Section 215 of the Patriot Act, to continue through 2020. McConnell invoked a rule that bypasses the usual committee vetting process, enabling the bill to go directly to the Senate floor, where a vote has not been scheduled.

The measure, which immediately drew criticism from privacy advocates and some members of Congress, allows the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to essentially rubber-stamp government requests for so-called "business records" held by just about any institution, including the phone companies. Interpreted to require the telcos to cough up millions upon millions of calling records about their customers, it requires them to provide the National Security Agency with the phone numbers of both parties in a call, calling card numbers, the length and time of the calls, and the international mobile subscriber identity (ISMI) number for mobile callers. The NSA keeps a running database of that information, saying that it runs queries solely to combat terrorism.

The measure comes as some members of Congress are moving to limit the snooping program. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said McConnell and his co-sponsor, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.), "will not succeed."

Despite overwhelming consensus that the bulk collection of Americans’ phone records under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT must end, Senate Republican leaders are proposing to extend that authority without change. Republican leaders should be working across the aisle on legislation that protects both our national security and Americans’ privacy rights, but instead they are trying to quietly pass a straight reauthorization of the bulk collection program that has been proven ineffective and unnecessary. And more, they are attempting to do so without the committee process that the Majority Leader has promised for important legislation. This tone-deaf attempt to pave the way for five and a half more years of unchecked surveillance will not succeed. I will oppose any reauthorization of Section 215 that does not contain meaningful reforms.

The Center for Democracy & Technology immediately blasted the proposal, too.

"The Senate Majority Leader's bill makes no attempt to protect Americans' privacy or reform ongoing NSA surveillance programs that do not provide any tangible benefit to national security. For Americans concerned about government intrusion in their lives, the bill is a kick in the stomach," said Harley Geiger, the group's advocacy director. "We strongly urge Congress to take the opportunity right now to re-balance privacy and security of the PATRIOT Act, rather than succumb to inertia. Congress should act decisively to end the NSA's bulk collection of communication records, not endorse it."

Neither McConnell nor Burr immediately responded to requests for comment.

If approved, the measure would move to the House for a vote.