[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2173]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                        IMPERATIVE FISA RENEWAL

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, the bipartisan Protect America Act, a 
critical anti-terrorist law that closes loopholes in our intelligence 
laws and protects civil liberties is, once again, about to expire. The 
House must act today on this critical piece of legislation, which 
passed the Senate by 68-29. If this Senate bill is not passed in time, 
our intelligence agencies will be blinded to our enemies' plans and 
required to consult a lawyer before eavesdropping on foreign 
terrorists.
  Democrats have had more than 6 months to make the Protect America Act 
permanent and provide immunity to telecommunications firms that 
assisted our government and performed their patriotic duty after 9/11. 
The time for indecision and second-guessing is over. The time to get 
this important legislation passed into law is today.
  House Democrats should pass the Senate bill and get it to the 
President, again, today.

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