[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19998]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                          PATRIOT ACT OF 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. MARTIN T. MEEHAN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 12, 2001

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I have been proud to serve as a member of 
the House Judiciary Committee over the past month. In the past, our 
committee has had a reputation for confrontation--not consensus. But 
when terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center and assaulted the 
Pentagon, the Judiciary Committee beat its swords into plowshares.
  Under the leadership of Jim Sensenbrenner and John Conyers, we came 
together to produce a bipartisan bill that updates law enforcement's 
arsenal against terrorism without casting aside our fundamental 
liberties.
  Our efforts produced a balanced bill that received a unanimous vote--
a historic accomplishment. I wish it were the Judiciary Committee bill 
on the floor today.
  Unfortunately, today's floor debate has tainted that accomplishment. 
The short-circuiting of the regular order clouds what should have been 
a day of unanimity.
  Nonetheless, I rise in support of the antiterrorism legislation 
before us. While the bill is not perfect, it does maintain an 
acceptable balance between bolstering law enforcement powers and 
protecting our civil liberties.
  In fact, when I read the Senate bill, I see much of the House 
Judiciary Committee's work reflected in that product.
  Since our surveillance laws were first enacted, the terrorists have 
gotten smarter, faster, and richer. The technology that brings us 
unprecedented convenience has brought them unprecedented opportunities 
to wreak havoc. It's time for law enforcement to catch up.


  I only regret that today's action won't have quite the bipartisan 
shine it should.

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