Bishop: End NSA bulk surveillance

U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop was among those voting last week to limit bulk phone-record gathering by the National Security Agency — a break from post-9/11 polices his predecessor favored.

Bishop, R-Rochester, voted with the majority during a 338-88 House vote in favor of the USA Freedom Act, which would end the NSA's bulk collection of Americans' phone records.

"(T)his bill ... strikes the right balance between reaffirming our Fourth Amendment rights and keeping families safe," Bishop said.

"Just last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit said the NSA had overstepped its legal bounds in the way it collects U.S. phone records."

Under the USA Freedom Act, bulk collection would be replaced by a system that would search data held by telephone companies on a case-by-case basis.

Mike Rogers, Bishop's predecessor as Michigan's 8th District representative, was a leading advocate for bulk surveillance.

Last year, while still in Congress, Rogers told an overseas audience the program was essential in heading off potential attacks by ISIS and others hostile to the United States.

Last week, Rogers was announced as host of "Decalssifed" a new eight-part CNN series detailing stories of covert U.S. operations.

The bulk-surveillance issue now moves to the Senate, which has days to take action before the Patriot Act provision authorizing it expires.

The USA Freedom Act is favored by President Barack Obama, but faces an uncertain future in the Senate, which rejected a similar proposal last year.

Senate Majority Leaser Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, on Thursday introduced a separate measure that would temporarily extend current surveillance methods through July 31.

Bulk collection caused a firestorm of protest two years ago when it was reveled by NSA leaker Edward Snowden.

Contact Livingston Daily reporter Wayne Peal at 517-548-7081 or wpeal@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @wpeal.