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Bill

HR 7816

Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act of 2026

119th Congress Introduced by Andy Biggs and 7 co-sponsors

Bill requires federal agencies to obtain warrants before conducting surveillance, restricting warrantless monitoring practices by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

Introduced in House
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HR 7816

Legislative bill overview

HR 7816 aims to restrict federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies from conducting surveillance activities without obtaining a warrant first. The bill establishes stricter legal requirements around data collection, monitoring, and investigative techniques used by agencies like the FBI, NSA, and others. It represents a legislative effort to impose Fourth Amendment protections more broadly across federal surveillance practices.

Why is this important

Surveillance practices affect millions of Americans' privacy rights and civil liberties. The balance between security operations and privacy protection has been contentious since post-9/11 surveillance expansion and was further highlighted by Edward Snowden's disclosures. This bill directly confronts how much authority federal agencies have to monitor communications and activities without judicial oversight.

Potential points of contention

  • Operational security concerns: Intelligence and law enforcement agencies argue warrantless surveillance is essential for national security, counterterrorism, and preventing crimes; they may claim warrant requirements create dangerous delays
  • Definition and scope ambiguity: The bill's specific definitions of what constitutes "surveillance" and which activities require warrants remain unclear without seeing full text; agencies might exploit loopholes
  • Emergency exceptions: The legislation may not adequately address how agencies should handle genuine emergencies, potentially forcing impossible choices between legal compliance and immediate threats

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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