UsaPatriotact USA PATRIOT ACT

All of the info is on Thomas.gov

http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html

!!Info from SECOND PERIOD:

"WASHINGTON -- The Senate added civil rofl liberties protections to the USA Patriot Act on Wednesday, clearing the way for renewal of the anti-terrorism law passed shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The 95-4 vote ended months of bipartisan debate centering on privacy rights. Subsequent procedural votes Wednesday showed enough Senate support to move the bill this week to the House for final passage and then to President Bush.

The bill makes most of the law's temporary provisions permanent. However, two Patriot Act sections and a third that's part of the intelligence reform law of 2004 will again expire in 2009.

They cover "roving" wiretaps that allow the FBI to intercept a target's communications regardless of what phone or computer is used; court orders to give investigators secret access to business records in terrorism and counterespionage cases; and a "lone wolf" measure that expands law enforcement powers to cover terrorism suspects operating as individuals.

Overall, the measure expands the FBI's powers to conduct secret searches, intercept phone calls and obtain information on terrorism suspects from businesses and libraries while concealing the existence of an investigation."

The bill also makes it easier for U.S. intelligence agencies to share information with law enforcement.

Source: USA Today, MAR 02, 2006

Item: J0E119829201506-Ebsco

Congress stated that "terrorism means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience."

• The Patriot Act has helped law enforcement break up terror cells in Ohio, New York, Oregon, and Virginia.

• The Patriot Act has helped in the prosecution of terrorist operatives and supporters in California, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois Washington, and North Carolina.

The Patriot Act enables necessary cooperation and information sharing by helping to break down legal and bureaucratic walls separating criminal investigators from intelligence officers.

Before the Patriot Act, it was easier to track a drug dealer's phone contacts than a terrorist's phone contacts, and it was easier to obtain a tax cheat's credit card receipts than to trace the financial support of an al-Qaida fundraiser. The Patriot Act corrected these double standards - and America is safer as a result.

The Patriot Act allows Internet service providers to disclose customer records voluntarily to the government in emergencies involving an immediate risk of death or serious physical injury and permits victims of hacking crimes to request law enforcement assistance in monitoring trespassers on their computers.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/patriotact/

12/4/06

!!Info from THIRD PERIOD:

The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-56), known as USA PATRIOT Act or simply the 'Patriot Act', is an American act which was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. The Act passed in the Senate by a vote of 98 to 1, and in the House by a vote of 357 to 66. Although the bill enjoyed widespread Congressional and Presidential support it is a very controversial federal legislation.

Originally passed after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Act (full text) was formed in response to the terrorist attacks against the United States, and dramatically expanded the authority of American law enforcement for the stated purpose of fighting terrorism in the United States and abroad. It has also been used to detect and prosecute other alleged potential crimes, such as providing false information on terrorism. Federal courts declared some sections unconstitutional because they interfere with civil liberties. It was renewed on March 2, 2006 with a vote of 89 to 11 in the Senate and on March 7 280 to 138 in the House. The renewal was signed into law by President Bush on March 9, 2006.

Some of the more controversial provisions of USA PATRIOT act were largely inspired by the RICO act, which restricted due process for individuals involved in organized crime, racketeering, and drug trafficking. The USA PATRIOT act essentially extended the qualifications to those involved in terrorism.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usa_patriot_act

added by Jeff Hunter

there is also a lot more information from that site

Jeff Hunter

Jeff Hunter

Did the Patriot Act get sufficient consideration before being passed? It was passed in only three days...anyways, this guy says no...

Go to the Lexis Nexis site

ARTICLE: Fighting Terrorism in an Electronic Age: Does the Patriot Act Unduly Compromise Our Civil Liberties?

NAME: CHRISTOPHER P. RAAB

A good way to find info on the third policy stage:

go to google and enter: PATRIOT ACT implementation

the first couple of links turn up good information

info on the sunset provisions and on the act itself can be found on: http://www.eff.org/patriot/sunset/

"I act with USA patriots."

-The Government

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if you search for homeland security on ebsco (Military and Government Collection) you can find a lot of articles about the 9/11 commission such as