Surveillance-bill compromise close in House, would end mass NSA collection of phone data --- Key lawmakers in the House are nearing a bipartisan compromise on surveillance legislation that they believe can pass the full chamber and satisfy President Obama’s goal of ending mass collection of Americans’ phone data, aides said this week. -- The optimism comes as the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted 32 to 0 to advance an amended bill that would bar the National Security Agency from gathering billions of ­call-detail records for counter­terrorism purposes. -- The House Intelligence Committee is planning to take up its own version of surveillance legislation, which it is considering amending to address privacy concerns, aides said. It could also take up the bill passed by the Judiciary panel, which some House aides predicted will be the version that advances to the floor. -- Movement on surveillance legislation this week puts the House in the driver’s seat on the issue, which exploded into the public realm nearly a year ago as a result of a series of leaks by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. -- “The bottom line is the amended [USA] Freedom Act makes it crystal clear that Congress does not endorse bulk collection and ensures Americans’ civil liberties are protected,” said Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.), co-sponsor of the bill that was approved. -- Both the Judiciary bill and the Intelligence Committee’s bill would end the NSA’s phone gathering by ensuring that the phone companies retain the records, but for no longer than they normally would. -- A key issue separating the two is a provision in the Judiciary bill that would require a judge to approve records requests for each phone number before the NSA obtains them. That provision was among several the White House has insisted be part of any surveillance legislation. -- A key issue separating the two is a provision in the Judiciary bill that would require a judge to approve records requests for each phone number before the NSA obtains them. That provision was among several the White House has insisted be part of any surveillance legislation. -- “The whole goal is to get one big compromise solution that we support,” the aide said. -- House leadership could send legislation to the floor as early as the week of May 19 or before the July recess. That would put pressure on the Senate to act. --- Under the bulk call-records program, the NSA collects numbers dialed and call times but does not record the conversations. The Judiciary Committee’s bill outlaws all bulk collection by the NSA — not just of phone records but of any type of personal record, including financial, medical and legal documents. - More, Ellen Nakashima, Washingtonpost