4 October 2001
Text of PATRIOT bill introduced into the House on 2 October 2001:
http://cryptome.org/hr2795ih.txt
US Department of State
International Information Programs
Washington File
_________________________________
04 October 2001
(Senate, House moving forward on legislation) (320) HOUSE PANEL APPROVES ANTI-TERROR BILL; SENATE NEARS ACTION The House Judiciary Committee has approved, and sent on to the full House, an anti-terrorism bill drafted in response to the suicide attacks that killed thousands of civilians in New York and Washington September 11. The committee passed the measure by a 36-0 vote late October 3, after several days of bipartisan negotiations aimed at developing a broadly acceptable draft. Meanwhile, Senate negotiators reached what they termed an "agreement in principle" with the Bush administration on their own version of the anti-terrorism legislation. The full House is scheduled to vote on the measure early in the week of October 8, and the Senate could well vote swiftly as well. The bill passed by the House Judiciary Committee, adapted from proposals advanced by the administration, expands the ability of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to wiretap phones, monitor Internet communications, and exchange information, and provides for prosecution of anyone who knowingly harbors a terrorist. It permits law enforcement agencies to detain non-citizens suspected of terrorist offenses without charges for as long as seven days, and indefinitely under certain narrow circumstances, staff sources said. The administration had sought a broader right to detain foreigners deemed security risks indefinitely without charges, but that was dropped at the insistence of committee members who expressed civil liberties concerns. While language was not available, the Senate version reportedly is similar to the House bill in most respects. Some remaining differences, however, likely will require a Senate-House conference committee to work out a compromise after the individual chambers act. One key difference is that the many provisions in the House bill would expire after two years, while the Senate version would put them in place permanently. (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
Source: http://judiciary.senate.gov/an100301.htm
3 October 2001
Leahy/Hatch Joint Statement Regarding the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001
WASHINGTON – Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Ranking Republican Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) of the Senate Judiciary Committee announced Wednesday night that they, the White House and the Department of Justice have reached agreement in principle on the contents of the Senate's Anti-Terrorism package. Final legislative drafting will continue through the night and the senators hope to be able to transmit the bill to Majority Leader Daschle and Republican Leader Lott on Thursday.
"These have been complex and difficult negotiations, but after much hard effort we have completed work on this bipartisan agreement," stated Leahy.
"I want to thank and compliment the Chairman for his efforts and am pleased to report that our agreement takes into account each of our principled beliefs and is based on our views on the proper balance between the role of law enforcement and our civil liberties," stated Hatch.
They will not issue further statements or release the final contents of the bill until Thursday.
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Source:
http://www.house.gov/judiciary/news100301.htm
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on the Judiciary
F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., Chairman
______________________________________
News Advisory
For immediate release Contact: Jeff Lungren/Terry Shawn
October 3, 2001 202-225-2492
House Judiciary Committee Unanimously Passes Anti-terrorism Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House Judiciary Committee tonight unanimously passed the Sensenbrenner-Conyers anti-terrorism legislation. H.R. 2975, the "Provide Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (PATRIOT) Act of 2001," passed by a 36-0 vote after more than six hours of debate. The PATRIOT Act will now move to the full House, with a vote likely early next week.
The PATRIOT Act was introduced on October 2 by House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.) and cosponsored by Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.) and 21 other House members.
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