Sen. Olympia Snowe

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Collins, Snowe back immunity clause

Civil liberties groups in Maine strongly oppose the provision in a new domestic-surveillance bill.

By JONATHAN E. KAPLAN Washington, D.C. Correspondent
January 23, 2008

New legislation that would grant retroactive immunity from lawsuits to telephone companies that took part in a domestic surveillance program could be approved by the Senate this weekend with strong bipartisan backing, including Maine’s two Republican senators.
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The immunity provision is strongly opposed by elected officials and civil liberties groups in Maine.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, allows law enforcement officials to seek warrants from a secret court to wiretap phones. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, large telecommunications companies, such as Verizon and AT&T, cooperated with the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping program.

The Bush administration has threatened to veto legislation if companies are not shielded from lawsuits such as one filed by the Maine Public Utilities Commission against Verizon. The state agency wants to know whether Verizon violated customers’ privacy either by providing records to federal agents without a warrant or monitoring and recording phone calls.
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Maine Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins favor immunity.

Snowe, who serves on the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence, voted for the measure in committee. It passed 13-2.
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Maine’s attorney general, Steven Rowe, wrote Snowe and Collins on Tuesday asking them to oppose legislation granting lawsuit immunity because it would “hamper” the Maine PUC’s investigation into Verizon.
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An immunity provision would make the lawsuits moot, said Shenna Bellows of the Maine Civil Liberties Union. Bellows noted that the plaintiffs in the lawsuit are not asking for monetary damages; they’re seeking a court-ordered injunction to prevent future instances of warrantless surveillance.

A group of 108 Maine lawyers sent a letter on Monday asking Snowe and Collins to oppose the measure.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=164397&ac=PHnws

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luckyleftyme2 (1000+ posts) Tue Apr-18-06 01:09 PM
Original message
TOP TEN SENATORS(TIMES MAGAZINE)

it was a pleasure to see sen. snow getting recognition for her out standing work.although she is a republican,she represents" maine" well.
i was appalled to see a mean spirited post in another forum; thank god the author and the forum represent only a minor portion of the populace of maine(less than 5%).
Sen.Snow has always defended the views of our state regardess of who was in the "whitehouse". which upsets a few in her own party(less than 5%) who follow blindly right or wrong.
Kudos to the lady sen from "MAINE" we love you!