House votes for increased oversight of FBI operations

The House Monday approved legislation calling for increased oversight of FBI operations and of the agency's proposed e-mail monitoring system.

The $17.6 billion Justice Department authorization bill (H.R. 2215) establishes a deputy inspector general for FBI oversight within Justice and requires the attorney general and FBI director to provide Congress with a detailed report on all uses of an e-mail wiretap system formerly known as Carnivore.

House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, on Monday lauded the measures.

"Although this is not the end of the story, these are two steps in the right direction," Armey said in a statement.

The FBI has come under fire recently for the Robert Hanssen spying case, its failure to turn over all documents in the Oklahoma City bombing case, and problems in accounting for its weapons and computers. In response to the privacy concerns raised by Carnivore, Attorney General John Ashcroft recently appointed a senior Justice Department official, Daniel Collins, to examine the legal problems associated with the system. The report required under the House bill must document the exact circumstances of the system's use, including the statutory authority upon which the department relied.

The Justice Department authorization bill now goes to the Senate. Both houses have not passed a bill reauthorizing the department's operations since 1979.