Deal reached on U.S. surveillance bill

WASHINGTON, June 19 (UPI) -- The White House and U.S. Congress reached agreement Thursday on the first major overhaul of the nation's intelligence surveillance laws in three decades.

After the compromise was recorded following months of negotiations, the U.S. House of Representatives was scheduled to vote Friday on reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, The Washington Post reported. The Senate is expected to take up the FISA reauthorization next week.

The negotiated measure would provide potential retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that cooperated with the federal government's warrantless wiretapping program and extend the government's eavesdropping powers, the Post said. The measure has been held up over House Democrats' concerns about balancing the government's electronic surveillance activities with U.S. citizens' right to privacy.

The measure would give U.S. district courts the opportunity to evaluate whether telecommunications companies should receive retroactive protection from lawsuits, negotiators said.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the lead Democratic negotiator, said the measure will accommodate the protection of civil liberties going forward.