Simpson Supports PATRIOT Act Reauthorization in House
Press Release
July 22, 2005
Simpson Supports PATRIOT Act Reauthorization in House
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson last night supported House passage of H.R. 3199 - the USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005. The legislation, which extends provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act that were set to expire later this year, makes numerous changes to the original bill, permanently reauthorizes several expiring provisions, and places new ten-year sunsets on two provisions. H.R. 3199 passed by a vote of 257-171.
"I know this bill won't satisfy everyone's concerns, but I believe it provides a proper balance between protecting the American people from terrorism and protecting them from infringements on their civil liberties," said Simpson. "The original PATRIOT Act greatly increased our nation's ability to share intelligence information, made better use of technology, and provided terrorism investigators tools that have long been available in cases involving illegal drugs and organized crime. The provisions of this bill are vitally important to protecting our nation's citizens, institutions, and landmarks from the scourge of international terrorism."
In addition to supporting the underlying bill, Simpson supported several amendments on the House floor designed to ensure the protection of civil liberties and improve oversight of the federal government's use of the PATRIOT Act's provisions. Among the amendments Simpson supported on the House floor were the following:
- An amendment that would require the approval of the Director of the FBI for any request of records from libraries or bookstores;
- An amendment that would increase oversight of roving wiretaps;
- An amendment that would provide additional recourse for recipients of a national security letter and limits the use of non-disclosure requirements;
- An amendment, offered by Idaho Rep. C.L. "Butch" Otter, that limits the use of delayed notification searches - otherwise known as "sneak-and-peak" searches.
While acknowledging some initial reservations about the way in which the PATRIOT Act might impact civil liberties, Simpson said that after meeting with the Justice Department on several occasions and studying the bill he believes its civil liberties safeguards are sufficient. "I've put a lot of time into studying the bill and asked the Justice Department a lot of tough questions. What I've learned is that the PATRIOT Act's detractors are dramatically exaggerating the impact of the bill's provisions on civil liberties, that their claims are often misinformed, and that they are therefore misleading the public," said Simpson. "Quite frankly, there are no documented abuses of the PATRIOT Act and plenty reasons to believe it has saved American lives. Make no mistake about it, we're in a decades-long war against terrorism, both here and abroad, and we need every tool the PATRIOT Act provides to keep our nation both safe and free."
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/id02_simpson/patriot_reauthor.html