Comment

Comment by truth on February 9, 2011 at 2:36am

Kucinich Opens Debate on PATRIOT Act Reauthorization

Comment by truth on February 9, 2011 at 2:33am

Kucinich Opens Debate on PATRIOT Act Reauthorization

Comment by truth on February 8, 2011 at 11:38pm

House rejects extensions of Patriot Act provisions

(AP) – 8 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Tuesday failed to extend the life of three surveillance tools that are key to the nation's post-Sept. 11 anti-terror law, a slipup for the new Republican leadership that miscalculated the level of opposition.

The House voted 277-148 to keep the three provisions of the USA Patriot Act on the books until Dec. 8. But Republicans brought up the bill under a special expedited procedure requiring a two-thirds majority, and the vote was seven short of reaching that level.

The Republicans, who took over the House last month, lost 26 of their own members, adding to the 122 Democrats who voted against it. Supporters say the three measures are vital to preventing another terrorist attack, but critics say they infringe on civil liberties. They appealed to the antipathy that newer and more conservative Republicans hold for big government invasions of individual privacy.

Earlier on Tuesday, Republicans also pulled a bill from the floor because of dissatisfaction about extending trade benefits for three South American countries while continuing a program that helps retrain Americans who lose their jobs to foreign competition.

The Patriot Act bill would have renewed the authority for court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones. Also addressed was Section 215, the so-called library records provision that gives the FBI court-approved access to "any tangible thing" relevant to a terrorism investigation.

The third deals with the "lone-wolf" provision of a 2004 anti-terror law that permits secret intelligence surveillance of non-U.S. people not known to be affiliated with a specific terrorist organization.

Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., the former Judiciary Committee chairman who authored the 2001 Patrio

Comment by truth on February 8, 2011 at 11:41am

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House is expected to vote today on extending certain provisions of the Patriot Act.

Three provisions of the act are set to expire at the end of the month. They deal with access to business records or anything else related to a terror investigation, such as getting roving wiretaps and being able to keep tabs on so-called lone wolf terrorists.

The house bill would extend the provisions to December.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy has proposed the provisions be extended, with some modifications, until 2013 -- a date supported by Attorney General Eric Holder.

That means lawmakers will have to strike a compromise if the provisions are to be extended.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

---

Have information or an opinion about this story? Click here to contact the newsroom.