The USA Patriot and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005

THE USA PATRIOT AND TERRORISM PREVENTION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005 (H.R. 3199) -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 29, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. BETTY McCOLLUM
OF MINNESOTA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2005

Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my opposition to the reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act.

We live in a world in which vital issues of national security, homeland security and intelligence gathering need to be balanced with the most fundamental freedoms and civil liberties granted to the American people by our Constitution. Terrorism is a real threat to our security, but laws that empower over zealous government officials to enter the private lives of individuals and ``sneak and peak'' based on suspicion is also dangerous. There was an opportunity to find a common sense, bipartisan agreement on protecting our security and our liberties that has been ignored by this legislation.

There are sixteen provisions of The USA Patriot Act that the Bush Administration proposes to make permanent without sunsets. The bill before the House made 14 of these provisions permanent with two of the provisions scheduled to sunset in ten years.

The purpose of a sunset is to allow Congress oversight over the implementation of the law. By making these fourteen provisions permanent, Congress abdicates its responsibility to review these provisions in favor of granting power to the executive branch. As co-equal branches of government, I strongly believe Congress has a responsibility to check the power of the executive branch, not cede authority that can threaten the civil liberties of our citizens today and tomorrow.

Provisions in the Patriot Act continue to allow for government access to business records, private e-mail accounts, library reading lists and the monitoring of Internet habits. Credit card information and other private records including medical, employment and personal financial records can also be monitored. Virtually every aspect of an individual's life can come under profound scrutiny by government officials based on suspicion. This to me is frightening and to millions of honest, hardworking Americans.

Fighting terrorism, organized crime and narco-terrorism is critical to keeping our communities and families safe. The men and women in law enforcement from local, state and Federal agencies--and throughout the criminal justice and counter-terrorism systems--have my deep admiration and respect. Their job is difficult, but this legislation fails to provide additional resources to confront threats and keep our communities safe. It instead creates endless opportunities for the violation of civil liberties and the freedoms we deeply cherish as a nation.

Many people speak of sacrificing some of our freedoms in the name of security. This is a formula that empowers terrorists and encourages the very enemies of freedom. It is the wrong approach. I applaud my Republican colleagues who have joined Democrats in working for a common-sense Patriot Act that protects our security and our liberties. It is my hope that as this bill moves to conference committee with the Senate that the extremes in this legislation are tempered by a wisdom that embraces the American people's respect for privacy and desire for freedom.

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