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S4998Referred to Committee

Fourth Amendment Restoration and Protection Act of 2026

Share:
Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-07-15
Introduced
0
Cosponsors
S
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Rand Paul
Rand Paul
Republican · KY · Senator
Votes with party: 67.2% (824 recorded votes)
Top industries funding sponsor:
  • Conservative Groups$473k

Full profile: /officials/P000603

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (0)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

No cosponsors on record. Bills can pass without cosponsors — this often means the sponsor introduced the bill alone, either because it's a messaging bill, a chairman's mark, or simply early in the legislative cycle.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

2026-07-15

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Currently in

  • Senate Committee on the JudiciaryReferred To · 2026-07-15

Plain-English Summary

The government would be banned from using special surveillance powers designed for foreign intelligence gathering to monitor American citizens, and any information collected through these powers could not be used as evidence in any court case or investigation. This would significantly restrict law enforcement and intelligence agencies' ability to use these surveillance tools domestically, even when investigating crimes or national security threats involving U.S. persons. The change would apply to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which currently allows some domestic surveillance under certain circumstances.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 4998 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4998 To amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to prohibit the use of authorities under such Act to surveil United States persons and to prohibit the use of information acquired under such Act in any criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding or as part of any criminal, civil, or administrative investigation. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 15, 2026 Mr. Paul introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to prohibit the use of authorities under such Act to surveil United States persons and to prohibit the use of information acquired under such Act in any criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding or as part of any criminal, civil, or administrative investigation. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Fourth Amendment Restoration and Protection Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON AUTHORITIES IN FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT OF 1978. (a) Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978.-- (1) In general.--The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (50 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``TITLE IX--LIMITATIONS ``SEC. 901. LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORITIES TO SURVEIL UNITED STATES PERSONS AND ON USE OF INFORMATION CONCERNING UNITED STATES PERSONS. ``(a) Definitions.--In this section: ``(1) Pen register and trap and trace device.--The terms `pen register' and `trap and trace device' have the meanings given such terms in section 3127 of title 18, United States Code. ``(2) United states person.--The term `United States person' has the meaning given such term in section 101. ``(3) Derived.--Information or evidence is `derived' from an acquisition when the Government would not have originally possessed the information or evidence but for that acquisition, and regardless of any claim that the information or evidence is attenuated from the surveillance or search, would inevitably have been discovered, or was subsequently reobtained through other means. ``(b) Limitation on Authorities.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, an officer of the United States may not under this Act request an order for, and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court may not under this Act order-- ``(1) electronic surveillance of a United States person; ``(2) a physical search of a premises, information, material, or property used exclusively by, or under the open and exclusive control of, a United States person; ``(3) approval of the installation and use of a pen register or trap and trace device to obtain information concerning a United States person; ``(4) the production of tangible things (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) concerning a United States person; or ``(5) the targeting of a United States person for the acquisition of information. ``(c) Limitation on Queries of Information Collected Under Section 702.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, an officer of the United States may not conduct a query of information collected pursuant to an authorization under section 702(a) using search terms associated with a United States person. ``(d) Limitation on Use of Information Concerning United States Persons.-- ``(1) Definition of aggrieved person.--In this subsection, the term `aggrieved person' means a person who is the target of any surveillance activity under this Act or any other person whose communications or activities were subject to any surveillance activity under this Act. ``(2) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (3), any information…
Show the remaining 515 wordsHide the remaining 515 words
concerning a United States person acquired or derived from an acquisition under this Act shall not be used in evidence against that United States person in any criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding or as part of any criminal, civil, or administrative investigation. ``(3) Use by aggrieved persons.--An aggrieved person who is a United States person may use information concerning such person acquired under this Act in a criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding or as part of a criminal, civil, or administrative investigation.''. (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents preceding section 101 is amended by adding at the end the following: ``TITLE IX--LIMITATIONS ``Sec. 901. Limitations on authorities to surveil United States persons and on use of information concerning United States persons.''. (b) Limitation on Surveillance Under Executive Order 12333.-- (1) Definitions.--In this subsection: (A) Aggrieved person.--The term ``aggrieved person'' means-- (i) a person who is the target of any surveillance activity under Executive Order 12333 (50 U.S.C. 3001 note; relating to United States intelligence activities), or successor order; or (ii) any other person whose communications or activities were subject to any surveillance activity under such Executive order, or successor order. (B) Pen register; trap and trace device; united states person.--The terms ``pen register'', ``trap and trace device'', and ``United States person'' have the meanings given such terms in section 901 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, as added by subsection (a). (2) Limitation on acquisition.--Where authority is provided by statute or by the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to perform physical searches or to acquire, directly or through third parties, communications content, non-contents information, or business records, those authorizations shall provide the exclusive means by which such searches or acquisition shall take place if the target of acquisition is a United States person. (3) Limitation on use in legal proceedings.--Except as provided in paragraph (5), any information concerning a United States person acquired or derived from an acquisition under Executive Order 12333 (50 U.S.C. 3001 note; relating to United States intelligence activities), or successor order, shall not be used in evidence against that United States person in any criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding or as part of any criminal, civil, or administrative investigation. (4) Limitation on united states person queries.-- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no governmental entity or officer of the United States shall query communications content, non-contents information, or business records of a United States person under Executive Order 12333 (50 U.S.C. 3001 note; relating to United States intelligence activities), or successor order. (5) Use by aggrieved persons.--An aggrieved person who is a United States person may use information concerning such person acquired under Executive Order 12333, or successor order, in a criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding or as part of a criminal, civil, or administrative investigation. (c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section or the amendments made by this section shall be construed to abrogate jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of the United States relating to the exceptions to the warrant requirement of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, including the exigent circumstances exception. <all>
Open clean-text viewRead on Congress.gov →

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