U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

March 2, 2006

CONTACT:    Cody Wertz – Comm. Director

                        303-455-7600

Andrew Nannis  – Press Secretary

                        202-224-5852


 Sen. Salazar Votes for PATRIOT Act

WASHINGTON, DC - United States Senator Ken Salazar joined a bipartisan group of colleagues today in voting to reauthorize the PATRIOT Act.

“When it comes to the safety of our Nation, the PATRIOT Act is crucial and I was glad to see the Senate come together in a bipartisan manner to reauthorize the law,” Salazar said. “I worked with the SAFE Act Six to strengthen the civil liberties provisions in the bill and while the compromise our group struck with the White House is not perfect, it does more to protect the civil liberties of Americans than the earlier law and the initial conference report.

“As former Attorney General of Colorado, I know the importance of providing law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to keep the public safe. I am also well aware of the balance that must be struck between providing those tools and protecting the constitutional rights of Americans. I believe we have struck that balance; however, I intend to continue to monitor the implementation of the PATRIOT Act to ensure the civil liberties this country was founded on are not brushed aside in the name of security.”

Senator Salazar joined the SAFE Act Six to include new measures for subpoena recipients to challenge an accompanying judicial gag-order not to discuss the case publicly, though they would have to wait one year. This would also prevent the F.B.I. from demanding the names of lawyers consulted by people who receive secret government directives for information. The new version of the bill would also prevent most libraries from being subject to those requests.

Within the next few days, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) will introduce a companion bill to the PATRIOT Act to push for further civil liberty protections. Senator Salazar has signed on as an original co-sponsor of Senator Specter’s bill.

“While I support the PATRIOT Act, I do believe there are additional protections for civil liberties that should be enacted. These are addressed in Senator Specter’s bill, in an appropriately bipartisan manner, and I am proud to join him in that effort.”

###