US House votes to renew sweeping ‘Patriot Act’ supervision laws

WASHINGTON- United States- AFP
The House of Representatives has voted to renew the USA Patriot Act, the controversial package of laws passed in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. The House passed the USA Patriot and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005 by a vote of 257-171.

President George W. Bush hailed the enhanced investigative powers given to US law enforcement under the Patriot Act as an indispensable tool in forestalling new acts of terror “I commend the House for voting to reauthorize provisions of the Patriot Act that are set to expire this year,” said Bush.

“The Patriot Act has enhanced information sharing between law enforcement and intelligence personnel, updated the law to adapt to changes in technology, and provided critical tools to investigate terrorists that have been used for years in cases against organized crime and drug dealers,” Bush said.

The president urged the US legislature to quickly send to the White House a final version of the bill for his signature. “The Patriot Act is a key part of our effort to combat terrorism and protect the American people, and the Congress needs to send me a bill soon that renews the act without weakening our ability to fight terror,” said Bush.

The Patriot Act, which was passed six weeks after the September 11 attacks on the United States, contained several temporary measures which required a new congressional vote or faced expiration by December 31 of this year. Thursday’s House vote made 14 temporary provisions of the legislation permanent and extended two others that had been scheduled to lapse at the end of the year.

Civil libertarians have strongly opposed the measures, which give law enforcement officials access to educational, financial and medical records without having to show probable cause of a crime. It also allows police and prosecutors to access details of an individual’s Internet activities and correspondence without probable cause or consent, among other measures.

“This bill ensures that our law enforcement community does not lose the tools it already has in place to root out and prosecute terrorists,” Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert said after the vote. “We learned after September 11 how important it is that authorities be proactive and move aggressively to uncover terrorist plots, and the recent attacks in London have shown us that dangerous terrorist networks remain active.

“This bill lets our nation fight back by renewing important provisions that allow information sharing among government agencies and increased penalties for those who commit terrorist crimes. It strikes the right balance between protecting lives and liberty,” Hastert said.
Similar reauthorization legislation is to be taken up shortly by the US Senate.