Arizona closer to banning state help to the NSA
IT’S HARD: Arizona wants to break up with the National Security Agency.
By Josh Peterson | Watchdog.org
Arizona lawmakers are one step closer to being the first state to ban helping the National Security Agency.
The state’s Senate Government and Environment Committee passed out of committee on Monday the Arizona Fourth Amendment Protection Act, which would ban state help to the NSA and forbid evidence collected without a warrant from being used in court.
The bill, based on model legislation introduced by civil liberties group OffNow.org, was introduced in January by Republican State Sen. Kelli Ward and 14 cosponsors.
Arizona is one of 12 states with pending legislation currently addressing the federal government’s warrantless electronic surveillance programs.
California, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampsire, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Washington state are all considering similar bills. Lawmakers in Alaska and Vermont also recently joined in on the effort.
OffNow.org spokesman Michael Maharrey, in a recent interview with Watchdog.org, however, named California and Arizona as the states with the strongest chance of passing the legislation.
Contact Josh Peterson at jpeterson@watchdog.org. Follow Josh on Twitter at @jdpeterson
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