House Approves PATRIOT Act Reauthorization

December 14, 2005

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman David Dreier (R-CA), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, voted today to approve the final version of legislation that will reauthorize the USA PATRIOT Act and make permanent 14 of its 16 expiring provisions. The Conference Report on the USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2005, H.R. 3199, was approved with broad bipartisan support, 251-174.

"More than four years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the PATRIOT Act has proven to be an invaluable tool in the war on terror," Dreier said. "Through extensive congressional oversight, the PATRIOT Act has been closely monitored and to this day, no abuses of civil liberties under the Act have been reported by the Inspector General of the Department of Justice. This new version provides sunsets for two controversial provisions, as well as extensive judicial review to ensure they are not abused. I believe it gives law enforcement the tools they need to continue to effectively combat terrorism, while protecting our civil liberties at the same time."

The original version of the PATRIOT Act included sunsets for the entire bill. The new version provides four year sunsets for two of the most controversial provisions, Section 206 (multipoint surveillance or roving wiretaps) and Section 215 (library records provision), as well as the "lone wolf" terrorist provision. It also provides for extensive judicial review and congressional oversight of these two provisions to ensure they are not abused.

Additionally, the legislation permanently tears down "the wall" that had prevented information sharing between law enforcement and the intelligence community; prohibits narco-terrorism; combats terrorism financing; expands and makes permanent the law prohibiting material support to terrorists; fights crime and terrorism at America’s seaports; enhances penalties for attacks against railroad and mass transit; makes certain air piracy crimes subject to the death penalty; narrows the definition of terrorism; creates a National Security Division within the Department of Justice as requested by the Commission on Weapons of Mass Destruction; authorizes lifetime judicial supervision of terrorists; extends the duration of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) surveillance of non-U.S. persons to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles; contains comprehensive reforms of the use of National Security Letters (NSLs), including judicial review, mechanisms for disclosure, and reporting to Congress on the frequency of their use; and, contains a comprehensive measure to address the national methamphetamine abuse epidemic.