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Foreign Evidence Request Efficiency Act of 2009

Public Law 111-79 · S. 1289 · 111th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Oct 19, 2009 · Crime and Law Enforcement

Sponsor: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

Cosponsors (2): Sen. Jeff Sessions,

Passage votes

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Foreign Evidence Request Efficiency Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) allow any court of competent jurisdiction, as defined by this Act, to require the disclosure of stored wire or electronic communications for criminal investigations (currently, only a court with jurisdiction over the offense under investigation may issue an order for disclosure); and (2) authorize a federal judge to issue orders to execute requests from foreign judicial or law enforcement authorities for assistance in the investigation or prosecution of criminal offenses.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 3133Identical bill

    Foreign Evidence Request Efficiency Act of 2009

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.

  1. Oct 19, 2009Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 111-79.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Oct 7, 2009FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Sep 30, 2009FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
  6. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1289.
  7. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  8. FloorFloor · Mr. Schiff moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  9. OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
  10. Aug 19, 2009CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
  11. Jul 10, 2009FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  12. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  13. FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  14. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
  15. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  16. Jun 18, 2009CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  17. CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6809-6810)
  18. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.