USA Act
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The USA Act (Uniting and Strengthening America Act of 2001), Public Law 107-56, an expansion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978, was the legislative precursor to the more commonly known USA PATRIOT Act. It was passed by the House (H.R. 2975) on October 12, 2001, and by the Senate (S. 1510) on October 11, 2001.
The primary difference between the USA Act and FISA is the definition of terrorism. In FISA, terrorism is limited to acts that are "backed by a foreign power." The phrase foreign power is commonly regarded as foreign government. Focus on Al Qaeda after September 11 raised the issue that there are terrorists who are not backed by a foreign government and even those who may act completely alone. In the USA Act, terrorism was redefined to be activity that appears to be intended to (1) intimidate or coerce the government or civil population AND (2) breaks criminal laws AND (3) endangers human life.
The USA Act was quickly combined with the Financial Anti-Terrorism Act to become the USA PATRIOT Act on October 26, 2001.
