U.S. Senate, House pass bills to extend patriot act.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: UP FRONT: News, Trends & Analysis - Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act - United States. Congress. Senate - United States. Congress. House

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in July voted to extend 14 of the 16 provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act that were set to expire December 31. The House and Senate bills are different, but the differences are small enough that officials said they could work out a compromise.

According to The New York Times, the Senate voted unanimously to make permanent 14 of the main provisions after Republican leaders agreed to include additional civil rights safeguards and to prevent the government from expanding its counterterrorism powers. Two remaining sections--206 and 215--will expire in four years unless Congress reauthorizes them.

The roving wiretap provision, Section 206, allows investigators to conduct secret searches and obtain warrants to intercept a phone conversations or Internet traffic without limiting it to a specific phone or identifying the suspect. The records provision, Section 215, authorizes federal officials to obtain "tangible items" such as business, library, and medical records.

The legislation also restricts the government's powers, requiring a higher standard of proof for investigators to demand business records, greater judicial oversight, and increased reporting to Congress on antiterrorism operations and limits on roving wiretaps.

The Bush administration had pressed for expanded subpoena powers. But, according to the Times, after several days of private discussions, Senate leaders agreed not to pursue the administrative subpoenas to ensure quick reauthorization of the Patriot Act in some form.

The House voted to make the same 14 provisions permanent but put a 10-year sunset on sections 206 and 215. In the House, Democrats and some Republicans had pushed for new restrictions on those sections of the act.

Advocates of the act argued that such powers already exist in criminal investigations. They also cited safeguards in the bill, such as a requirement that a judge approve the records search.

According to media reports, House Democrats became incensed after Republican leaders blocked consideration of an amendment that would have prohibited the library searches. The House approved identical language by a wide margin in June as an amendment to an appropriations bill, but the rules committee did not allow it to be considered during the July...