U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release October 25, 2005		CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Press Secretary 202-228-3630 Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary 303-455-7600
Sen. Salazar Fights for Balance Between Providing Tools to Fight Terrorists and Protecting Americans’ Liberties Washington, D.C. – United States Senator Ken Salazar gave the following statement at a press conference today on the upcoming PATRIOT Act conferees meeting scheduled for November 1st. “This is a debate about finding the right balance between the need to fight terrorists and the importance of protecting Americans’ rights and freedoms. It’s simple: the legislation passed by the Senate earlier this year to reauthorize the PATRIOT Act strikes that balance, while the legislation passed by the House does not.” “The Senate legislation retains and extends all of the law enforcement tools provided by the original PATRIOT Act – from phone and computer surveillance to property and records’ searches – while placing reasonable limitations on the way they are used in order to protect civil liberties. And it will ensure that Congress can reevaluate two of the most controversial powers – those authorizing personal record searches and roving phone wiretaps – in four years rather than ten.” “Coloradans, and all Americans, understand that the security they deserve and the liberties they cherish are not mutually exclusive ideals. I share that belief. For that reason, I support the PATRIOT Act as passed by the Senate, and will continue to support it if the final conference report remains true to the protections, limitations, and balances contained in that bill.” # # #