Jun 6, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. Rand Paul today announced he will introduce the Fourth Amendment Restoration Act of 2013, which ensures the Constitutional protections of the Fourth Amendment are not violated by any government entity.

"The revelation that the NSA has secretly seized the call records of millions of Americans, without probable cause, represents an outrageous abuse of power and a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. I have long argued that Congress must do more to restrict the Executive's expansive law enforcement powers to seize private records of law-abiding Americans that are held by a third-party," Sen. Paul said. "When the Senate rushed through a last-minute extension of the FISA Amendments Act late last year, I insisted on a vote on my amendment (SA 3436) to require stronger protections on business records and prohibiting the kind of data-mining this case has revealed. Just last month, I introduced S.1037, the Fourth Amendment Preservation and Protection Act, which would provide exactly the kind of protections that, if enacted, could have prevented these abuses and stopped these increasingly frequent violations of every American's constitutional rights.

"The bill restores our Constitutional rights and declares that the Fourth Amendment shall not be construed to allow any agency of the United States government to search the phone records of Americans without a warrant based on probable cause."

Click HERE to view the text of this legislation, which will be introduced when the Senate returns to session on Friday, June 7.

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113th CONGRESS
1ST Session
S. ________

To stop the National Security Agency from spying on American citizens.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES.

Mr. Paul introduced the following bill.

Sec 1. SHORT TITLE
This Act may be called the “Fourth
Amendment Restoration Act of 2013.”

Sec. 2. FINDINGS

Whereas the Bill of Rights says in the 4th
Amendment to the United States Constitution that “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Whereas media reports indicate that the National Security Agency is currently collecting the phone
records of American citizens.

Whereas media reports indicate that the National Security Agency has secured a top secret court order in April from a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) for the telephone records of millions of American citizens.

Whereas media reports indicate that President Barack Obama’s Administration has been collecting
information about millions of citizens within the borders of the United States and between the United States and other countries; and,

Whereas the collection of citizen’s phone records is a violation of the natural rights of every man and woman in the United States, and a clear violation of the explicit language of the highest law of the land;

Sec. 3.

RULE OF CONSTRUCTION

The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution shall not
be construed to allow any agency of the United
States Government to search the phone records of Americans without a warrant based on probable cause.