Subject: FW: [COL:1546] FW: Patriot Act News Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:53:16 -0600 Message-ID: <BDD0A3EABE40F04A8C7200805EDE5A6A04035651@PEPSI.uwec.edu> From: "Richmond, Elizabeth B." <RICHMOEB@uwec.edu>
The latest news I've heard is that the FISA requests/warrants/subpoenas
(at least pertaining to libraries) may be out. let's hope. Betsy
Richmond
________________________________
From: owner-col@ala.org [mailto:owner-col@ala.org] On Behalf Of Patrice
McDermott
Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 3:22 PM
To: ALA Committee on Legislation
Cc: prue@arl.org; Mary Alice Baish; doug@sla.org; Bernadette M. Murphy
Subject: [COL:1546] FW: Patriot Act News
Security
House Democrats Back Limited PATRIOT Act Extension
by Sarah Lai Stirland <mailto:sstirland@nationaljournal.com>
House Democrats on Tuesday plan on introducing companion legislation to
a Senate proposal for a three-month extension of certain provisions in a
controversial anti-terrorism law, sources said late Friday.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., applauded the idea, but a
spokesman for House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner,
R-Wis., called the USA PATRIOT Act proposal a "nonstarter."
"If [Sen. Russell] Feingold and others defeat a PATRIOT Act
reauthorization, it will be on their hands," said Jeff Lungren,
Sensenbrenner's spokesman. "We have negotiated for five months and added
over 70 requests and changes suggested by Sen. [Patrick] Leahy. The
conference report is a solid anti-terrorism law and is the best
agreement the critics will get."
A bipartisan group of senators and a group of Democrats in both chambers
oppose the current version of the legislation. They say it includes
inadequate privacy and civil-liberties protections.
"The conference report does not contain safeguards that many House
members, on a bipartisan basis, requested and fails to contain the
critical improvements in the Senate bill," Pelosi said in a Friday
statement. "It would still permit personal records to be seized and
retained indefinitely without any obligation on the part of the
government to demonstrate a connection to terrorism."
Other senators who oppose the current version are: Larry Craig, R-Idaho;
Richard Durbin, D-Ill.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Ken Salazar, D-Colo.;
and John Sununu, R-N.H.
Both Feingold, D-Wis., and Craig have threatened to intentionally delay
the conference report endorsed last week by Senate Judiciary Committee
Chairman Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. The legislation contains shorter four
year expiration dates on two of the most controversial portions of the
law and one applying to intelligence reform legislation of 2004. A
pre-Thanksgiving version of the conference report contained seven-year
"sunsets."
But senators and civil libertarians say the changes do not go far enough
to protect civil liberties.
A Justice Department spokesman on Monday rejected the idea of a
three-month extension.
"Congress should act on the PATRIOT Act now," said Brian Roehrkasse, a
Justice spokesman. "In the past year, Congress has had 23 hearings
focused on reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act. They heard from 60 different
witnesses, specifically 30 from the Department of Justice. ... With the
fact that the department has a four-year record with no civil rights or
civil-liberties abuses, Congress should act now."
Lobbying over the legislation ratcheted up over the weekend, as members
of Congress, groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and
President Bush publicized their views. Bush gave a radio address
Saturday urging members of Congress to move quickly on the legislation.
"In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without this vital law for
a single moment," he said. "So I urge Congress to approve the conference
committee agreement promptly and reauthorize the PATRIOT Act."
#####
**LETTER INCLUDED
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Laura Capps/Melissa
Wagoner
December 12, 2005
(202) 224-2633
KENNEDY AND COLLEAGUES OFFER BILL TO EXTEND PATRIOT ACT PROVISIONS TO
MAKE CURRENT CONFERENCE REPORT BETTER
NEED TIME TO ADDRESS CRITICAL CONCERNS OVER FAR-REACHING INVESTIGATORY
TOOLS
Washington, DC: Today, Senator Kennedy and his colleagues introduced a
measure to create a three-month extension for the expiring provisions of
the PATRIOT Act to make this a better bill. Senator Kennedy opposes the
Conference Report on the PATRIOT Act as it currently stands over
remaining concerns on its far-reaching investigatory tools, particularly
the National Security Letters. Today's bipartisan legislation is
co-sponsored by Senators Sununu, Leahy, Craig, Rockefeller, Murkowski,
Levin and Durbin.
Below is the text of the letter sent Friday to Chairman Specter
requesting the extension. Upon offering the legislation today, Senator
Kennedy offered the following statement:
"I hope we can reach agreement to extend the date of the sunset
provisions of the PATRIOT Act from December 31, 2005 under current law
to March 31, 2006.
We obviously need additional time to resolve a number of issues related
to reauthorization of the Act. Unfortunately, our House colleagues
waited six months to appoint conferees, and the current rushed
negotiations won't be able to achieve a satisfactory resolution in the
few days remaining in the session.
With a March 31 deadline, we can deal responsibly with the major
remaining concerns about the contentious and sweeping methods of
obtaining detailed bank and telephone records, such as the use of
National Security Letters.
One of the most glaring omissions in this conference report is the
failure to include a sunset on these letters, even though it would be
consistent with the new reporting and auditing requirements included in
the conference report.
As we know from the original PATRIOT Act debate, sunset provisions on
the most far-reaching investigatory methods are essential to allow
adequate Congressional oversight over law enforcement and
counter-terrorism activities. Congress clearly needs to be able to
review the use of other controversial methods.
We have not yet achieved the goal set by the 9/11 Commissioners: to
adopt governmental powers that truly enhance our national security while
ensuring adequate oversight over their use. That should be our guiding
principle. With so much at stake, I urge my colleagues to take
sufficient time to adopt necessary reforms and achieve a bipartisan
consensus that restores the public trust."
December 7, 2005
The Honorable Arlen Specter
Chairman
U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary
224 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington D.C. 20510
The Honorable James Sensenbrenner
Chairman
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary
2449 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington D.C. 20515
Dear Chairman Specter and Chairman Sensenbrenner:
We write to you about our decision not to sign the House-Senate
conference report on USA PATRIOT Act reauthorization. The conference
committee had an opportunity to adjust the PATRIOT Act's expiring
provisions to protect the rights and liberties of all Americans more
effectively. Regrettably, the opportunity was lost when Democratic
conferees were excluded from key negotiations and the conference failed
to meet to consider and vote on amendments. The resulting conference
report falls short of what the American people have every reason to
expect Congress to achieve in defending their rights while advancing
their security.
The American people do not believe that security and liberty are
mutually exclusive goals, and they are right. For four years, the
protection of civil liberties has been at the forefront in debates over
the PATRIOT Act. The conference report makes some improvements to the
current Act, but it fails to make others, and even takes several steps
backward. We welcome the enhanced oversight provisions, but they do not
offset the report's deficiencies. The Senate bill, which the Senate
Judiciary Committee and then the Senate adopted unanimously, reached a
far better balance.
The reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act must have the confidence of the
American people. The Congress should not rush ahead to enact flawed
legislation to meet a deadline that is within our power to extend. We
owe it to the American people to get this right.
If a satisfactory bill cannot be achieved by the end of the year, we
propose a three-month extension for the expiring provisions of the
PATRIOT Act. Congress has had years to improve and renew these
provisions of the PATRIOT Act, but has failed to act expeditiously. The
deadline that Congress imposed to ensure oversight and accountability
should not become a barrier to achieving bipartisan compromise. This is
a vital debate, and these are vital issues. If three more months are
needed to make this a better bill, then we should take and prudently use
that time.
Sincerely,
_____________________________
_____________________________
PATRICK LEAHY
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV
Ranking Member,
Vice Chairman,
Committee on the Judiciary
Select Committee on Intelligence
_____________________________
_____________________________
EDWARD M. KENNEDY CARL
LEVIN
United States Senator
United States Senator
Tsoghig Marieann Hekimian
Legislative Assistant, ACLU
915 15th St. NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-675-2337 office
202-546-2934 fax