[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 27, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1647-E1648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    USA PATRIOT AND TERRORISM PREVENTION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 21, 2005

       The House in Committee of the Whole House of the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3199) to 
     extend and modify authorities needed to combat terrorism, and 
     for other purposes:

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3199, the 
``USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005.''
  While I strongly agree that we must take every step possible to keep 
our nation secure, we should not be trampling on the rights of innocent 
Americans. When the original PATRIOT Act was passed in the weeks 
following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, sixteen 
provisions were scheduled to sunset this year because a matter of this 
importance deserves to be carefully reviewed by Congress.
  The bill before us today would make permanent fourteen of those 
sixteen provisions thereby relinquishing this body of its oversight 
responsibilities. This is unacceptable. I have serious concerns about 
how this Administration has applied and may apply in the future the 
provisions included in this bill. Our constituents should be able to 
trust that we will actively work to protect their civil liberties by 
fighting against any abuses of those rights.
  I am disappointed that the Rules Committee denied two amendments that 
I offered, including one that would give the Privacy and Civil 
Liberties Oversight Board, created by the Intelligence Reform and 
Terrorism Prevention Act, the teeth to do its job, and one that would 
make permanent the temporary relief given to non-citizens, who were 
lawfully present or a beneficiary of the September 11th Victims 
Compensation Fund, in the original PATRIOT Act. I believe that these 
very worthy amendments at least deserved an open debate on the House 
floor.
  Moreover, an amendment offered by Representatives Sanders (I-VT), 
which already has passed this body, was denied by the Rules Committee. 
His amendment, which I strongly support, would prohibit the FBI from 
using a USA Patriot Act Section 215 order to access library circulation 
records, library patron lists, book sales records, or book customer 
lists, and it would help to restore the privacy that library patrons 
had before the passage of the USA Patriot Act four years ago. Law 
enforcement should spend its time going after the terrorists, not 
spending its time reviewing the records of innocent people who are 
visiting their local libraries.

[[Page E1648]]

  The terrorists who are in a battle against us resent the very rights 
and openness of society that I believe are what make this country 
great. We must remain vigilant in defense of the ideals and principles 
upon which this nation was founded, and the American people must be 
able to trust their government not to abuse their basic rights.
  I urge my colleagues to vote no on this legislation.

                          ____________________