State Lawmakers Disagree on Renewal of Patriot Act

The Patriot Act was put into law to protect the nation after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  It gives the federal government powers to fight terrorism. Many people say the Act goes too far, and it takes away the rights of ordinary people. Even some Republicans in the House and Senate do not like the bill.

Parts of the Patriot Act are up for another vote in Congress this month.  Senator Russ Feingold does not like some of the items in the Patriot Act. Congressman James Sensenbrenner is head of a committee that approved the Act. Both lawmakers are from Wisconsin.

Patriot Act needs to be re-authorized

Parts of the Patriot Act cannot be changed. But other parts will end at the end of 2005. Those parts must be re-authorized by Congress.

Feingold said he may try to keep the Senate from voting on the bill.  Sensenbrenner says Feingold should be happy with the changes. He says Feingold and others will not get a better deal.

But Feingold says the latest version of the Act gives too much power to the federal government and the FBI. He says he will do anything he can to keep those powers from becoming law.

Feingold voted against the Act in 2001

Feingold was the only one of the nation’s 100 Senators who voted against the Act in 2001. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

One of the powers in the new Patriot Act gives the government the right to find out what materials a person checks out at a public library. It also gives the government the power to look at a person’s business records, medical records, educational and gun records.  Another measure gives the government the right to do a search without telling the person for 30 days, instead of seven days.

The government has had these rights for a long time. But it had to get a judge to approve a search warrant first. The government had to give the judge a good reason why it expected to find something in the search. It had to tell what it expected to find.  

Bush approves of new changes

Sensenbrenner says President George Bush and Republicans in the House of Representatives have agreed to all of the changes they are going to make. 

Republicans control more than half of the seats in the House and the Senate. They are the majority party in power. Democrats are the minority party.

Sensenbrenner is a Republican. His district includes some of Milwaukee’s northern suburbs. He lives in the suburb of Menomonee Falls. He is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.  The committee approved changes in the Act.

The House and the Senate had different versions of the bill. Members of both bodies met in what is called a “conference” (a meeting). They agreed December 9th on some changes to the Act. The changes resulted in one bill from both Houses. 

Sensenbrenner says bill protects citizens

Sensenbrenner says his side has agreed to give up some important items in the new bill. He says the new bill includes some important items to protect citizens from unfair government practices.

Feingold said he may try to block the bill by using a filibuster. He could be stopped from using a filibuster if 60 of the 100 Senators vote to cut off the filibuster.

Source: Journal Sentinel article by Katherine M. Skiba