S. 2010 would extend for eight years the authority of the federal government to conduct surveillance under title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 (sections 1881-1881g of title 50, United States Code), as added by the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-261) and amended by the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-23). That authority is set to expire on December 31, 2017. CBO does not provide estimates for classified programs; therefore, this estimate addresses only the unclassified aspects of the bill.
Effects on the Federal Budget
Various sections of the bill would affect the operations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC): Section 4 would require the FISC, unless it determines otherwise, to appoint an amicus curiae (friend of the court) when it reviews the first certification, or amendment thereto, submitted by the government to conduct certain surveillance activities as specified in the bill. Section 5 would authorize the FISC to compensate amici curiae as it considers appropriate. Finally, section 8 would require the FISC to review certain information submitted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and to report to the Congress the number and results of such reviews conducted each year.