Re: [COL:1546] FW: Patriot Act News

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Richmond, Elizabeth B. (RICHMOEB@uwec.edu)
Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:53:16 -0600



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
 
 



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