S. 1339: Liberty Through Strength Act

115th Congress · introduced 2017-06-12 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-06-12 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Liberty Through Strength Act

Plain summary

Liberty Through Strength Act This bill gives the National Security Agency (NSA) access to business records, telephone call records, and other tangible items collected prior to November 29, 2015, under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) in the same manner and for the same purposes for which the NSA had access to such records prior to such date. This access is in effect for five years. The bill amends the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 to make permanent the expiring FISA provision that allows wiretap orders that follow the surveillance target rather than the phone (known as "roving wiretaps"). The bill amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to make permanent the expiring FISA provision that revises the definition of "agent of a foreign power" to include any non-U.S. persons who engage in international terrorism or preparatory activities. The bill amends the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 to make permanent title VII of FISA, which allows the Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to jointly authorize the electronic surveillance of non-U.S. persons who are outside the United States. The federal criminal code is amended to expand the categories of transactional records that the Federal Bureau of Investigation may request from wire or electronic communication service providers about a person or entity for an authorized investigation.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Liberty Through Strength Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] · 7 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

John Cornyn (R-TX), Thom Tillis (R-NC), John Thune (R-SD)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] reported raising $7.1 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115s1339.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/s>

Record fed-us-cong115-s1339 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115