Letter Supporting H.R. 6304, the "FISA Amendments Act of 2008"

June 20, 2008

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region, supports H.R. 6304, the “FISA Amendments Act of 2008.” The Chamber believes that this bipartisan compromise measure is necessary and appropriate given the threat to national security that arose in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

The Chamber represents companies across various industries which own or operate vital components of the nation’s critical physical, virtual, and economic infrastructures. The federal government continually depends upon such industries for cooperation and assistance in national security matters, including homeland security programs. The government also turns to these companies in times of crisis, when the speed, agility, and creativity of the private sector can be critical to averting a terrorist attack.

The Chamber firmly believes that the liability provisions in H.R. 6304 are imperative to preserving the self-sustaining “public-private partnership” that both Congress and the Executive Branch have sought to protect our country in the post-September 11 world. The Chamber urges you to consider the effects on the security of the United States should private sector involvement be muted and relegated to the sidelines in instances where industries could be of vital assistance.

Accordingly, the Chamber urges you to support H.R. 6304. The Chamber may consider votes on, or in relation to, H.R. 6304 in our annual How They Voted scorecard.

Sincerely,

R. Bruce Josten