ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 15, Number 2
January 3, 2006

In This Issue: PATRIOT Update

Happy New Year! 

The end of 2005 brought good news on the PATRIOT Act front. On 
December 16 the Senate voted down cloture (to close debate) and 
was able to sustain a filibuster that blocked passage of the 
flawed conference report. On the evening of December 21st, the 
Senate voted to extend the PATRIOT Act for six months to ensure a 
more comprehensive debate.  But Representative Sensenbrenner in 
the  House objected to such a long extension, so both Houses of 
Congress agreed to extend the PATRIOT Act until February 3, 2006 
to allow further debate on the Conference Report.

The Congress now has five more weeks in which to debate 
controversial PATRIOT provisions. This good news is in large 
measure a result of YOUR work. Thank you! A strong grassroots push 
from the library community and other concerned constituents helped 
Senators stand firm in their conviction that the conference report 
did not do enough to secure reader privacy. Your efforts sent a 
strong message to Congress that the American people will not 
accept important legislation like the PATRIOT reauthorization 
without a full and open debate. 

When the re-convenes this month, debate on PATRIOT Act legislation 
will continue. Please keep up the pressure on members of Congress 
by encouraging them to continue to fight for the following:

1.  The ability for a Section 215 recipient to pose a meaningful 
challenge of a FISA Court order.
2.  The ability for a Section 505 recipient to pose a meaningful 
challenge to a National Security Letter (administrative subpoena). 
3.  Language requiring that records sought under a Section 215 
order be described with "sufficient particularity" to prevent 
government fishing expeditions. 

Capitol Switchboard number is: 202-224-3121.

 
Thank you again for all your hard work! You've truly made a 
difference in this important debate. We will keep you updated as 
this issue develops. 



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