[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16896-16897]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              PATRIOT ACT

  (Mr. UDALL of New Mexico asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak out today on 
the leadership's abuse of power on the PATRIOT Act. We bring the 
PATRIOT Act to the floor today under a closed process. Many amendments, 
good solid bipartisan amendments, were denied. I offered two amendments 
with broad support. They were denied.

[[Page 16897]]

  The first created a strengthened civil liberties board called for by 
the 9/11 Commission. This board would protect our constitutional 
freedoms. The second, the Right to Read Act, would protect library 
patrons from arbitrary searches. It would bring the judiciary into the 
equation to protect our freedoms.
  I believe that we can bring terrorists to justice and still protect 
our constitutional freedoms, but we will not do it under this process 
today. This process of not allowing debate on an amendment is deeply 
flawed. It runs roughshod over our rights. The leadership should be 
ashamed.

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