Washington, Dec 29, 2003 - Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, announced today that he will introduce legislation to repeal a section of the FY ’04 Intelligence Authorization Act that expands powers granted to the federal government in the USA PATRIOT ACT.

Kucinich, who voted against and remains one of the most vocal opponents of the original PATRIOT ACT, has already introduced legislation to repeal many sections of the bill. (HR 3171) Today, Kucinich announced that when Congress returns, he intends to introduce language to repeal a section in the FY ’04 Intelligence Authorization Act that allows the government greater power to acquire financial records without judicial oversight from car dealers, pawnbrokers, travel agencies, and many other businesses.

Traditional financial institutions like banks and credit unions are already subject to such demands, but this dramatic expansion of government authority will mean that records created by average citizens who purchase cars, plan vacations, or buy gifts will be subject to government seizure and analysis without the important requirements of probable cause or judicial review.

This provision initially appeared in a leaked draft of the so-called “PATRIOT II”, a proposal the American public and Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate rejected.

“If we allow this Administration to continue this trend of expanding governmental powers at the expense of our civil rights our very democracy is at stake,” stated Kucinich. “Today, I join with over 229 communities in 35 states that represent over 29 million citizens, that have passed resolutions opposed to the law, in standing up to this abuse of power.”

“It is now clear the administration’s strategy is to pass PATRIOT II in separate pieces with little public debate, in secret, and surreptitiously attached to other legislation,” continued Kucinich. “This is far from an appropriate or democratic way to handle issues that affect the fundamental liberties and freedoms of Americans.”