Conference Committee Takes Up Patriot Act

Today, a conference committee, composed of members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, was meeting to reconcile their different versions of a Patriot Act reauthorization bill. However, some press reports indicate that congressional staff members may have already reached a tentative reconciliation of the two bills. The Washington Post reported that aids close to the negotiations said it would "probably adhere to the outlines of a Senate bill that sets new restrictions on the government."

On Wednesday, the Campaign for Reader Privacy (CRP) sent an e-mail to booksellers, librarians, and others who are represented by one or more members of the conference committee to immediately call or fax their Washington office to urge support for the Senate bill, S. 1389, which provides far more stringent safeguards to reader privacy than the House version. If the conference committee reaches an agreement in favor of the Senate version of the bill, it would signal a huge victory for free speech advocates and another blow to the Bush administration, which favors the House bill.

Wednesday evening's Motion to Instruct vote was viewed as a good start by free speech advocates: The House voted in favor of four-year sunsets for Patriot Act provisions 215, 206, and what has been come to be known as the Lone Wolf Provision of the Intelligence Reform bill. Currently, the House bill has 10-year sunsets. The amendment to the provisions is not binding, however. The Motion to Instruct was agreed to by voice vote and no member of the House asked for a recorded vote. Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) agreed to the motion.

Watch for a BTW News Flash about the conference committee proceedings tomorrow.