WICKER SUPPORTS PATRIOT ACT RENEWAL
REPORT FROM CONGRESS
By Congressman Roger F. Wicker
WICKER SUPPORTS PATRIOT ACT RENEWAL
1/23/2006
One of the first items of Congressional business in 2006 will be an effort to renew the USA Patriot Act. The House took action to prevent the anti-terrorism law from expiring at the end of 2005, but some members of the Senate balked at approving a long-term renewal. A compromise five-week extension was approved in the closing days of the session.
I was disappointed in this action. The Patriot Act has given law enforcement authorities powerful tools to fight terrorism and protect the American people from future threats. I hope the civil liberty and privacy concerns raised in the Senate can be addressed quickly so these important provisions can remain in force. They have been essential to the efforts of our intelligence agencies and law enforcement personnel in safeguarding the homeland since the terrorist attacks of 9-11-01.
DISRUPTING TERROR THREATS
Since 2001, the Patriot Act has provided the means to detect and disrupt terrorist threats against the U.S. Prior to enactment of the law, major legal barriers prevented intelligence, national defense, and law enforcement agencies from working together and sharing information. The Patriot Act eliminated those barriers and allowed the agencies to coordinate activities.
The law also empowers authorities to use the same procedures that have been employed successfully for years against organized crime and drug dealers. Federal agents now have a greater ability to conduct investigations without tipping off suspects. They have broader surveillance capabilities and 21st century technology to follow sophisticated terrorists trained to evade detection. The Act increases penalties for individuals convicted of terrorist crimes and those who give material aid to terrorists in these attacks.
QUICK ACTION ESSENTIAL
Before the Patriot Act, law enforcement officials were required to get a series of search warrants in each jurisdiction where suspected terrorists might be plotting and planning attacks. The procedures for acquiring multiple warrants were time consuming and hampered efficient enforcement efforts. The Act allows authorities to secure nationwide search warrants, which will help officials move more quickly to investigate and thwart a terrorist threat.
Civil libertarians have raised concerns that some of the Patriot Act's provisions infringe on Constitutional rights. Those concerns are not supported by the facts. Investigators from the Department of Justice and Congress have not identified a single abuse of civil liberties since the law has been on the books. Even greater protections have been added to this revised version of the law, including increased Congressional oversight and judicial review of several provisions.
ADDRESSING METH PROBLEM
Also included in the Patriot Act renewal legislation are provisions to address the nation's growing methamphetamine problem. The drug-fighting provisions mandate the restriction of common over-the-counter cold medicines used in the production of methamphetamine. Exporters and importers would be required to disclose transactions involving the drugs used in meth production, and tougher federal penalties would be imposed on traffickers and individuals who produce or deal meth in the presence of children.
http://www.house.gov/wicker/Patriot.htm