House NSA Surveillance Bill Clears Senate Hurdle

 A House-passed bill to overhaul collection of U.S. phone records by the National Security Agency has cleared a hurdle in the Senate.

The vote was 83 to 14.

At issue now is whether the Senate changes the bill, and whether those changes will be accepted by the House. The surveillance laws in question expired Sunday, so the NSA as stopped collecting the records. Intelligence officials say they have lost tools to hunt for spies and terrorists.

Both Republicans and Democrats in the House have urged senators not to amend the bill, saying any changes could imperil its passage.