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Senators Vow to Block Patriot Act CompromiseA House-Senate negotiating committee reached an agreement December 8 on reauthorization of the expiring USA Patriot Act, but a bipartisan group of senators—who objected to the conference report issued November 16—vowed to block the agreement.The compromise would extend for four years two of the act’s most controversial provisions and would amend Section 215, which allows the FBI to obtain library and bookstore records, to require that investigators demonstrate to a judge that the records are relevant to a terror investigation, the Washington Post reported December 9. The agreement would also give recipients of national security letters the right to challenge them in court and delete a provision making disclosure of the receipt of NSLs punishable by up to a year in prison. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), one of the six senators to oppose the agreement, called it a “major disappointment” and threatened a filibuster. “The conference committee had the opportunity to fix many of the provisions of the Patriot Act to which Americans across the political spectrum have voiced their opposition over the last four years,” he said in a December 8 statement. “Unfortunately, they decided not to listen. This battle is not over.” Both the Senate and House are expected to vote on the compromise by December 16. Posted December 9, 2005. |
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