Senate Passes 90-Day Extension of Patriot Act

AP / CBS

The Senate has passed a 90-day extension of Patriot Act with 86 ayes and 12 nays to allow more time to work out a longer term solution for three expiring provisions in the anti-terrorism bill. It now goes to the House. If Congress does not act the provisions would expire at the end of February.

"Extend it to May. It will give us time then. It's very important that it not expire," said Senator Dianne Feinstein Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. "It gives us more time because there are three different bills and a lot of stuff going on and you can't sort it out. So this will give some time."

"We're talking about a ninety day extension to give us time to bring it up for full debate on the floor. Obviously we don't have time to do that before the end of the week," said Senator Saxby Chambliss, R-GA, top ranking republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee. "As of right now I have no qualms with doing that."

"I wouldn't have any problem with that," Senator Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said. "It takes a little bit of pressure off."

The Senate is split over how to proceed on the Patriot Act extension for the long term - a three way split. The disagreement arises over competing issues on how long to extend the anti-terrorism surveillance tools which expire at the end of February and how much oversight to include.

The expiring provisions grant authority for roving wiretaps on terror suspects that move from phone to phone or other electronic devices. Another provision allows for the examination of library records, bookstore records and other business records of terror suspects. The third provision permits surveillance of "lone wolf" suspects, those who act alone who may not be tied or involved with recognized terror organizations.

Leahy introduced legislation to extend the three expiring provisions through 2013; it also adds additional safeguards to the act which would provide for increased oversight of U.S. Intelligence gathering tools.

Feinstein introduced legislation to extend the three expiring provisions through 2013, but does not have any of the oversight language contained in Leahy's bill.

Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Republican Charles Grassley, R-IA, has introduced a bill along with Republican Senate Minority Leader McConnell, R-KY, that permanently extends the expiring provisions.

Senator Rand Paul, R-KY, expressed his opposition to the Patriot Act reauthorization in a letter sent to Senators and called upon his Senate colleagues to "seriously consider whether the time has come to re-evaluate many - if not all - provisions of the Patriot Act."

The current provisions in the Patriot Act expire on February 28. Congress is scheduled to leave town at the end of the week for Presidents' Day recess.

The House would have to approve any short term extension the Senate works out. On Monday night the House approved an extension of the expiring provisions through December 2011.

[brucearnold]

Real American Bikers wear helmets when and where they choose, and may God help the law enforcement agencies who expect us to bend a knee at any unconstitutionally discriminatory "motorcycle checkpoints".

Real American Bikers don't need a destroyer of all citizens' constitutional rights to put up a false front about protecting ours. As sponsor of the USA Patriot Act, we believe F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-WI) and his allies should be arrested and tried as traitors to our nation and willing pawns in the ongoing destruction of the American Republic.

http://ironboltbruce.com

[tsigili]

That means that changes are coming.

[pasha128]

Did the TEA PARTY REPUBLICANS publish this version before the vote or was it voted in sight unseen by the members (including at least some members of the majority party) like the original version in the House?

That's the new 2011 TEA PARTY REPUBLICAN mantra. Did you not read the stories where the original patriot act renewal went down because veteran Congressman James Sensenbrenner (R) admitted the REPUBLICANS did not inform even their own new members of the proposal adequately and in time for the vote. Then even the conservatives report some of their members were uninformed about what they were voting for (yet voted to pass the bill anyway_.

http://blog.heritage.org/2011/02/09/morning-bell-patriot-act-facts/

Representative Todd Rokita (R-IN), who voted for the bill, even told Politico that he "didn't know anything about [the vote] until today."

http://docstalk.blogspot.com/2011/02/patriot-act-facts.html

Eight of the 26 Republican no votes came from freshmen who, Politico reports, "felt completely uniformed by their leadership." Representative Todd Rokita (R-IN), who voted for the bill, even told Politico that he "didn't know anything about [the vote] until today."

[bobnjersey]

[Feinstein introduced legislation to extend the three expiring provisions through 2013, but does not have any of the oversight language contained in Leahy's bill.]
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why are you extending provisions that were originally written to expire? there should be appropriate justification for these extensions ... beyond cya.

[thinking-voter]

Agreed. Seems justification for stepping on rights is as hard to come by as appropriate oversight these days. How many 90 day extensions can repeatedly pass?

[nearl451]

Why do they vote on 90 day extensions? It just means another vote in 90 days.

They could let all of this actexpire for all I care, but I really don't care to rehash the emotional baggage every 3 months.

[thinking-voter]

If you had read the attached brief story instead of just the headline, it explained why it was a 80 day extension.

[stn_sage]

HOORAY for Rand Paul! Maybe it's because he's a new member, or maybe it's because he still retains a little common sense that he was born with, or maybe it's because he realizes WHO he's SUPPOSED TO BE working for, and, he knows that it is NOT in the public's interest to have these useless BIG BROTHER laws used against the vast majority of the public who are law abiding...but, whatever the reason...HE IS CORRECT in wanting to do away with them! Now, IF only his misguided colleagues could 'see the light'!