Sec. 502. Limitations on disclosure of national security letters
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/bill/113/s/1599/is/section-502A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Section 2709 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection
(c)and inserting the following new subsection: If a certification is issued under subparagraph
(B)and notice of the right to judicial review under subsection
(d)is provided, no wire or electronic communication service provider, or officer, employee, or agent thereof, that receives a request under subsection (b), shall disclose to any person that the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has sought or obtained access to information or records under this section. The requirements of subparagraph
(A)shall apply if the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or a designee of the Director whose rank shall be no lower than Deputy Assistant Director at Bureau headquarters or a Special Agent in Charge of a Bureau field office, certifies that the absence of a prohibition of disclosure under this subsection may result in— endangering the life or physical safety of any person; flight from investigation or prosecution; destruction of or tampering with evidence; intimidation of potential witnesses; interference with diplomatic relations; alerting a target, an associate of a target, or the foreign power of which the target is an agent, of the interest of the Government in the target; or otherwise seriously endangering the national security of the United States. A wire or electronic communication service provider, or officer, employee, or agent thereof, that receives a request under subsection
(b)may disclose information otherwise subject to any applicable nondisclosure requirement to— those persons to whom disclosure is necessary in order to comply with the request; an attorney in order to obtain legal advice or assistance regarding the request; or other persons as permitted by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the designee of the Director. A person to whom disclosure is made under subparagraph
(A)shall be subject to the nondisclosure requirements applicable to a person to whom a request is issued under subsection
(b)in the same manner as the person to whom the request is issued. Any recipient that discloses to a person described in subparagraph
(A)information otherwise subject to a nondisclosure requirement shall notify the person of the applicable nondisclosure requirement. At the request of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the designee of the Director, any person making or intending to make a disclosure under clause
(i)or
(iii)of subparagraph
(A)shall identify to the Director or such designee the person to whom such disclosure will be made or to whom such disclosure was made prior to the request. In the case of any request for which a recipient has submitted a notification or filed a petition for judicial review under paragraph (3)(B), if the facts supporting a nondisclosure requirement cease to exist, an appropriate official of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall promptly notify the wire or electronic service provider, or officer, employee, or agent thereof, subject to the nondisclosure requirement that the nondisclosure requirement is no longer in effect. . Section 1114 of the Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978 ( 12 U.S.C. 3414 ), as amended by section 501(b) of this Act, is further amended— by redesignating subsection
(c)as subsection (d); and by inserting after subsection
(b)the following new subsection: If a certification is issued under subparagraph
(B)and notice of the right to judicial review under subsection
(d)is provided, no financial institution, or officer, employee, or agent thereof, that receives a request under subsection
(a)shall disclose to any person that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has sought or obtained access to information or records under subsection (a). The requirements of subparagraph
(A)shall apply if the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or a designee of the Director whose rank shall be no lower than Deputy Assistant Director at Bureau headquarters or a Special Agent in Charge of a Bureau field office, certifies that the absence of a prohibition of disclosure under this subsection may result in— endangering the life or physical safety of any person; flight from investigation or prosecution; destruction of or tampering with evidence; intimidation of potential witnesses; interference with diplomatic relations; alerting a target, an associate of a target, or the foreign power of which the target is an agent, of the interest of the Government in the target; or otherwise seriously endangering the national security of the United States. A financial institution, or officer, employee, or agent thereof, that receives a request under subsection
(a)may disclose information otherwise subject to any applicable nondisclosure requirement to— those persons to whom disclosure is necessary in order to comply with the request; an attorney in order to obtain legal advice or assistance regarding the request; or other persons as permitted by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the designee of the Director. A person to whom disclosure is made under subparagraph
(A)shall be subject to the nondisclosure requirements applicable to a person to whom a request is issued under subsection
(a)in the same manner as the person to whom the request is issued. Any recipient that discloses to a person described in subparagraph
(A)information otherwise subject to a nondisclosure requirement shall inform the person of the applicable nondisclosure requirement. At the request of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the designee of the Director, any person making or intending to make a disclosure under clause
(i)or
(iii)of subparagraph
(A)shall identify to the Director or such designee the person to whom such disclosure will be made or to whom such disclosure was made prior to the request. In the case of any request for which a financial institution has submitted a notification or filed a petition for judicial review under paragraph (3)(B), if the facts supporting a nondisclosure requirement cease to exist, an appropriate official of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall promptly notify the financial institution, or officer, employee, or agent thereof, subject to the nondisclosure requirement that the nondisclosure requirement is no longer in effect. . Section 626 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( 15 U.S.C. 1681u ), as amended by section 501(c) of this Act, is further amended by striking subsection
(c)(as redesignated by section 501(c)(1)(D) of this Act) and inserting the following new subsection: If a certification is issued under subparagraph
(B)and notice of the right to judicial review under subsection
(d)is provided, no consumer reporting agency, or officer, employee, or agent thereof, that receives a request under subsection
(a)shall disclose or specify in any consumer report, that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has sought or obtained access to information or records under subsection
(a)or (b). The requirements of subparagraph
(A)shall apply if the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or a designee of the Director whose rank shall be no lower than Deputy Assistant Director at Bureau headquarters or a Special Agent in Charge of a Bureau field office, certifies that the absence of a prohibition of disclosure under this subsection may result in— endangering the life or physical safety of any person; flight from investigation or prosecution; destruction of or tampering with evidence; intimidation of potential witnesses; interference with diplomatic relations; alerting a target, an associate of a target, or the foreign power of which the target is an agent, of the interest of the Government in the target; or otherwise seriously endangering the national security of the United States. A consumer reporting agency, or officer, employee, or agent thereof, that receives a request under subsection
(a)may disclose information otherwise subject to any applicable nondisclosure requirement to— those persons to whom disclosure is necessary in order to comply with the request; an attorney in order to obtain legal advice or assistance regarding the request; or other persons as permitted by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the designee of the Director. A person to whom disclosure is made under subparagraph
(A)shall be subject to the nondisclosure requirements applicable to a person to whom a request is issued under subsection
(a)or
(b)in the same manner as the person to whom the request is issued. Any recipient that discloses to a person described in subparagraph
(A)information otherwise subject to a nondisclosure requirement shall inform the person of the applicable nondisclosure requirement. At the request of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the designee of the Director, any person making or intending to make a disclosure under clause
(i)or
(iii)of subparagraph
(A)shall identify to the Director or such designee the person to whom such disclosure will be made or to whom such disclosure was made prior to the request. In the case of any request for which a consumer reporting agency has submitted a notification or filed a petition for judicial review under paragraph (3)(B), if the facts supporting a nondisclosure requirement cease to exist, an appropriate official of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall promptly notify the consumer reporting agency, or officer, employee, or agent thereof, subject to the nondisclosure requirement that the nondisclosure requirement is no longer in effect. . Section 802 of the National Security Act of 1947 ( 50 U.S.C. 3162 ) is amended by striking subsection
(b)and inserting the following new subsection: If a certification is issued under subparagraph
(B)and notice of the right to judicial review under subsection
(c)is provided, no governmental or private entity, or officer, employee, or agent thereof, that receives a request under subsection (a), shall disclose to any person that an authorized investigative agency described in subsection
(a)has sought or obtained access to information under subsection (a). The requirements of subparagraph
(A)shall apply if the head of an authorized investigative agency described in subsection (a), or a designee, certifies that the absence of a prohibition of disclosure under this subsection may result in— endangering the life or physical safety of any person; flight from investigation or prosecution; destruction of or tampering with evidence; intimidation of potential witnesses; interference with diplomatic relations; alerting a target, an associate of a target, or the foreign power of which the target is an agent, of the interest of the Government in the target; or otherwise seriously endangering the national security of the United States. A governmental or private entity, or officer, employee, or agent thereof, that receives a request under subsection
(a)may disclose information otherwise subject to any applicable nondisclosure requirement to— those persons to whom disclosure is necessary in order to comply with the request; an attorney in order to obtain legal advice or assistance regarding the request; or other persons as permitted by the head of the authorized investigative agency described in subsection (a). A person to whom disclosure is made under subparagraph
(A)shall be subject to the nondisclosure requirements applicable to a person to whom a request is issued under subsection
(a)in the same manner as the person to whom the request is issued. Any recipient that discloses to a person described in subparagraph
(A)information otherwise subject to a nondisclosure requirement shall inform the person of the applicable nondisclosure requirement. At the request of the head of an authorized investigative agency described in subsection (a), or a designee, any person making or intending to make a disclosure under clause
(i)or
(iii)of subparagraph
(A)shall identify to the head of the authorized investigative agency or such designee the person to whom such disclosure will be made or to whom such disclosure was made prior to the request. In the case of any request for which a governmental or private entity has submitted a notification or filed a petition for judicial review under paragraph (3)(B), if the facts supporting a nondisclosure requirement cease to exist, an appropriate official of the authorized investigative agency described in subsection
(a)shall promptly notify the governmental or private entity, or officer, employee, or agent thereof, subject to the nondisclosure requirement that the nondisclosure requirement is no longer in effect. . Section 3511 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection
(b)and inserting the following new subsection: If a recipient of a request for a report, records, or other information under section 2709 of this title, section 626 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( 15 U.S.C. 1681u ), section 1114 of the Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978 ( 12 U.S.C. 3414 ), or section 802 of the National Security Act of 1947 ( 50 U.S.C. 3162 ), wishes to have a court review a nondisclosure requirement imposed in connection with the request, the recipient may notify the Government or file a petition for judicial review in any court described in subsection (a). Not later than 30 days after the date of receipt of a notification under subparagraph (A), the Government shall apply for an order prohibiting the disclosure of the existence or contents of the relevant request. An application under this subparagraph may be filed in the district court of the United States for the judicial district in which the recipient of the order is doing business or in the district court of the United States for any judicial district within which the authorized investigation that is the basis for the request is being conducted. The applicable nondisclosure requirement shall remain in effect during the pendency of proceedings relating to the requirement. A district court of the United States that receives a petition under subparagraph
(A)or an application under subparagraph
(B)should rule expeditiously, and shall, subject to paragraph (3), issue a nondisclosure order that includes conditions appropriate to the circumstances. An application for a nondisclosure order or extension thereof or a response to a petition filed under paragraph
(1)shall include a certification from the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, an Assistant Attorney General, or the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or in the case of a request by a department, agency, or instrumentality of the Federal Government other than the Department of Justice, the head or deputy head of the department, agency, or instrumentality, containing a statement of specific facts indicating that the absence of a prohibition of disclosure under this subsection may result in— endangering the life or physical safety of any person; flight from investigation or prosecution; destruction of or tampering with evidence; intimidation of potential witnesses; interference with diplomatic relations; alerting a target, an associate of a target, or the foreign power of which the target is an agent, of the interest of the Government in the target; or otherwise seriously endangering the national security of the United States. A district court of the United States shall issue a nondisclosure requirement order or extension thereof under this subsection if the court determines that there is reason to believe that disclosure of the information subject to the nondisclosure requirement during the applicable time period will result in— endangering the life or physical safety of any person; flight from investigation or prosecution; destruction of or tampering with evidence; intimidation of potential witnesses; interference with diplomatic relations; alerting a target, an associate of a target, or the foreign power of which the target is an agent, of the interest of the Government in the target; or otherwise seriously endangering the national security of the United States. .
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