[Infowarrior] - Senate votes to extend USA Patriot Act for 1 year

[Richard Forno]

Senate votes to extend USA Patriot Act for 1 year
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER
The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 24, 2010; 9:25 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/24/AR2010022404926_pf.html
WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted Wednesday to extend for a year key  
provisions of the nation's counterterrorism surveillance law that are  
scheduled to expire at the end of the month. In agreeing to pass the  
bill, Senate Democrats retreated from adding new privacy protections  
to the USA Patriot Act.

The Senate approved the bill on a voice vote with no debate. It now  
goes to the House.

Three important sections of the Patriot Act are to expire at the end  
of this month.

One authorizes court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance  
on multiple phones. A second allows court-approved seizure of records  
and property in anti-terrorism operations. A third permits  
surveillance against a so-called lone wolf, a non-U.S. citizen  
suspected of engaging in terrorism who may not be part of a recognized  
terrorist group.

Supporters say extending the law enables authorities to keep important  
tools in the fight against terrorism. It would also give Democrats  
some cover from Republican criticism that the Obama administration is  
soft on terrorism. Republicans have criticized the administration for  
trying terrorist suspects in civilians courts, rather than military  
ones, and for trying to close the military-run prison at Guantanamo  
Bay, Cuba.

Some Democrats, however, had to forfeit new privacy protections they  
had sought for the law.

The Judiciary Committee bill would have restricted FBI information  
demands known as national security letters and made it easier to  
challenge gag orders imposed on Americans whose records are seized.  
Library records would have received extra protections. Congress would  
have closely scrutinized FBI use of the law to prevent abuses.  
Dissemination of surveillance results would have been restricted and  
after a time, unneeded records would have been destroyed.

"I would have preferred to add oversight and judicial review  
improvements to any extension of expiring provisions in the USA  
Patriot Act," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate  
Judiciary Committee. "But I understand some Republican senators  
objected."

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Associated Press writer Larry Margasak contributed to this report.

© 2010 The Associated Press