The House of Representatives late this afternoon voted to reauthorize the FISA Amendments Act. If approved by the Senate, the controversial law would extend for five more years the federal government’s power to, without a warrant, read private emails and listen to telephone calls from anybody believed to be abroad.

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, was among the 74 Democrats who joined with 227 Republicans to pass the measure, 301-118. More Democrats, 111, voted against the bill than voted for it. 

Mazie Hirono skipped the vote.

“While this is not a perfect bill, it continues a bipartisan solution to our national security strategy that balances our foreign intelligence needs that support on-going counter-terrorism operations with protecting our citizens’ rights to privacy,” Hanabusa said in a statement. “It is vital to note that these provisions do not apply to persons within the U.S. and restrict the government from intentionally targeting a U.S. citizen without a court order.”

The bill now heads to the Senate.

Read more about the bill over at the Washington Post.

— Michael Levine