Reyes Expects Compromise On Eavesdropping Law

WASHINGTON (AP) – The House Intelligence Committee chairman expects a compromise soon on renewal of an eavesdropping law that could provide legal protections for telecommunications companies.

President Bush has insisted on such a compromise.

In a television interview today, El Paso Congressman Silvestre Reyes didn’t specifically say whether the House proposal would mirror the Senate’s version.

The Senate measure provides retroactive legal immunity to the companies that helped the government wiretap U.S. computer and phone lines after the September 11th attacks without clearance from a secret court.

Bush wants the House to agree to the Senate bill. Reyes says he’s open to that possibility after receiving documents from the Bush administration and speaking to the companies about the industry’s role in the government spy program.