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Lawmakers Agree to Renew Patriot
Act
By <http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=bylL&v1=ERIC%20LICHTBLAU&fdq=199 60101&td=sysdate&sort=newest&ac=ERIC%20LICHTBLAU&inline=nyt-per> ERIC LICHTBLAU and <http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=bylL&v1=CARL%20HULSE&fdq=1996010 1&td=sysdate&sort=newest&ac=CARL%20HULSE&inline=nyt-per> CARL HULSE New York Times July 14, 2005 WASHINGTON, July 13 - Lawmakers on three separate Congressional committees moved Wednesday to impose restrictions on some of the more controversial elements of the law known as the USA Patriot Act, suggesting continued resistance in Congress to the idea of giving the government unchecked authority to fight terrorism. Senator Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican who leads the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in introducing proposed restrictions that there must be "a very careful balance" between fighting terrorism and protecting civil liberties. In a day of wide-ranging debate over the future of the act, Mr. Specter and Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, introduced a bill that would require greater judicial oversight for certain surveillance activities and put a four-year "sunset" on two sections of the law, including a provision that allows the government to demand library and medical records in intelligence investigations. While their bill would permanently extend 14 provisions of the act that are set to expire at the end of this year, it would require Congressional renewal in 2009 for the library provision and for a separate section related to roving wiretaps. The Justice Department, which has backed a separate plan by the Senate Intelligence Committee giving the Federal Bureau of Investigation broader antiterrorism powers, said it was reviewing Mr. Specter's proposal. But a senior department official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of sensitive political negotiations, said the department was troubled by several elements of the proposal, including provisions to raise the standard needed to obtain approval for certain types of surveillance and a public accounting of how often such powers are used. A Republican Senate aide, also speaking on condition of anonymity for the same reason, said Justice Department officials had already expressed their concerns privately and were "freaked out" by the prospect of greater restrictions on records. Mr. Specter's bill is the fifth major proposal in Congress in the last few months to address how and whether the antiterrorism law should be renewed. Several lawmakers said his proposal could be the most politically viable because it renewed the central elements of the law while also including some significant new safeguards. Some Republicans on the Judiciary Committee had balked at preliminary discussions on Mr. Specter's bill because they said it would hamper antiterrorism efforts, while some committee Democrats said the restrictions were not tough enough. Ultimately, Ms. Feinstein agreed to support the bill after Mr. Specter's office made a strong effort to enlist the aid of a Democrat on the panel. In the House, the Intelligence Committee, in approving its renewal of the Patriot Act, passed a measure Wednesday that, in contrast to the White House position, would place a five-year limit on a provision of the law that enables investigators to eavesdrop on suspected "lone wolf" terrorists. The committee also toughened rules on roving wiretaps, which are used as suspects switch telephone numbers. And in the House Judiciary Committee, lawmakers were moving through a series of amendments to that panel's version of the law in an effort to bring legislation before the full House next week. The committee also bucked the White House and put in similar 10-year sunset requirements on provisions that make it easier to obtain library records and use roving wiretaps. Republicans on both panels beat back Democratic efforts to put more controls on the act, including a provision that would have made it harder for federal investigators who lack hard evidence to gather private records on individuals they suspect are working on behalf of a foreign power. Representative Jerrold L. Nadler, Democrat of New York, sought to require federal agents seeking such records to demonstrate "specific and articulable facts" showing that the suspect could be a foreign agent. Republicans said that threshold was too high given that the special surveillance powers were intended to catch terrorists before they strike. For the most part, the measures headed for the House floor would retain the broad investigative powers granted by Congress after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Representative Peter Hoekstra, Republican of Michigan and chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said he believed that the measure would eventually draw broad bipartisan support. "I think it is generally believed that the provisions of the bill are still very much needed in the war on terror," Mr. Hoekstra said. Representative Jane Harman of California, the senior Democrat on the panel, said she, too, believed that the measure had proved its worth, but she argued that it needed refinements to guard against abuse. "Our approach is, 'mend it, don't end it,' " Ms. Harman said. Complete archives at http://www.sitbot.net/ Please let us stay on topic and be civil. OM YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
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