Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, today voted in favor of the USA Freedom Act, a bill that reforms the government’s bulk collection of phone records. The bipartisan bill passed the House of Representatives and puts in place new processes by which the government must get approval on a case-by-case basis from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC).

Larsen has been a vocal advocate of reforming the government’s surveillance programs following revelations last year about the National Security Agency’s bulk data collection. Last year Larsen introduced the Government Surveillance Transparency Act, which aimed to increase transparency by allowing technology companies to disclose the volume and type of information they were ordered to turn over to the government. A version of this proposal is included in the USA Freedom Act.

“This bill makes important progress toward strengthening oversight and increasing transparency by reining in the NSA’s collection of Americans’ phone records,” Larsen said. “But it could do more. Some provisions in the bill that describe surveillance targets could be stronger. I hope the Senate can make these improvements.”

“The American public deserves to know what data the government collects, so I’m pleased the Act allows tech companies to disclose orders from the government to hand over phone data,” Larsen said.

“The NSA’s dragnet data collection is unacceptable and the House has acted rightly in making critical reforms that will introduce some sunlight into government surveillance. These reforms may not be perfect but they are an essential step forward in protecting Americans’ civil liberties and ensuring national security,” Larsen said.

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