Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Judiciary Dems Unveil Intel Reform Bill

House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers joined Reps. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and Bobby Scott, D-Va., on Tuesday to introduce legislation that would revise and extend expiring sections of the USA PATRIOT Act and related provisions. They also introduced a measure intended to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to safeguard the constitutional rights of Americans while ensuring that the government has the tools it needs to collect foreign intelligence.

Judiciary ranking member Lamar Smith, Minority Whip Eric Cantor and GOP Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana introduced their own version of a PATRIOT Act reauthorization bill in March, which would simply extend the provisions, which sunset Dec. 31, for 10 years. "Over the past eight years, Americans grew tired of the same old scare tactics, designed to fool the public into believing that we needed to give up freedom to be safe from terrorism," Conyers said. "It is a new day and an opportunity for reform."

The Conyers-Nadler-Scott measures include language that would bring sweeping changes to the way controversial administrative subpoenas known as "national security letters" are handled. Americans would be able to use libraries and bookstores "without fear that their choice of books will be monitored by overzealous federal agents," noted Nadler, who chairs the Judiciary Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Subcommittee.

The Senate Judiciary Committee passed its PATRIOT Act measure earlier this month. After two weeks of discussion, negotiations with the Obama administration and a classified briefing from the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, the bill was approved 11-8, with a number of amendments. Read more here (subscription required).