Washington Examiner
May 15, 2018
Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden marks five years in exile next month. And 11 days after the anniversary of his initial public surveillance disclosure, the first state will implement a law that arguably cuts the NSA off from local water and electricity.
There isn’t a known NSA facility in Michigan, but the law’s author says it sends a clear message with a ban on state and local officials, including law enforcement and public utilities, cooperating with federal agencies that allegedly collect personal data without legal process.
“It hangs up a sign on Michigan’s door saying, ‘No violation of the Fourth Amendment, look elsewhere’,” said state Rep. Martin Howrylak, a Republican. “Democrats as well as Republicans would certainly stand very strong in our position on what this law means.”
Michigan’s Fourth Amendment Rights Protection Act takes effect June 17 after passing with a single “no” vote in the legislature.
The new law is the biggest accomplishment yet growing out of efforts to block water to a massive NSA data-storage center in Bluffdale, Utah. After Snowden’s leaks, lawmakers from Alaska to South Carolina introduced similar measures, but almost all failed.
This article was posted: Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at 7:32 am
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