ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 12, Number 54
June 13, 2003

In This Issue: Reps. Conyers, Hoeffel and Farr Introduce Surveillance Oversight and Disclosure Act

On June 11th, Representatives Joseph M. Hoeffel (PA-D), Sam Farr (CA-D), and House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (MI-D) announced their joint sponsorship of H.R. 2429, the Surveillance Oversight and Disclosure Act. This bill would require greater reporting by the Justice Department on USA PATRIOT Act activities, including special reports about how library records are obtained and used.  As the main author of the bill, Rep. Hoeffel was concerned about how the new authorities granted to the Justice Department by the USA PATRIOT Act were being used.  Numerous congressional representatives have complained about the lack of information from Attorney General Ashcroft.  

ALA released the following press release (see below) at the time of the press conference.  This bill as well as other civil liberties bills, such as Rep. Sanders' H.R. 1157, the Freedom to Read Protection Act, will be discussed at ALA's Annual Conference in Toronto next week.  Library supporters will be asked to seek cosponsors for this bill.  For further information contact Lynne Bradley at the ALA Washington Office at 1-800-941-8478 or lbradley@alawash.org.

The American Library Association (ALA) welcomes the introduction of the Surveillance Oversight and Disclosure Act today in the House of Representatives

"ALA strongly believes that this bill will result in increased public oversight and greater  government accountability"


     (WASHINGTON DC) - The American Library Association (ALA) strongly supports legislation, the Surveillance Oversight and Disclosure Act, introduced today by Representatives Sam Farr (D-CA), Joseph Hoeffel (D-PA), and John Conyers (D-MI).  ALA strongly believes that this bill will result in increased public oversight and review, the protection of established civil liberties, and government accountability pertaining to some provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.
 
     "We have been trying to get such legislation passed since the USA PATRIOT Act first became law," said ALA President Maurice J. (Mitch) Freedman. "History has taught us that our government works best when it is subject to constant public scrutiny and review, and the public trust is eroded when government works in secret  -- behind closed doors where only the powerful and the privileged reside," he concluded.  

    Incoming ALA President Dr. Carla Hayden concurs. "America's libraries will continue to support legislation like the Surveillance Oversight and Disclosure Act, which seeks to protect the many freedoms that we enjoy as Americans -- including the constitutional rights of our patrons," concluded Dr. Hayden. 

   ALA hopes that this Bill, and a similar one  in the Senate introduced by Senators Grassley (R-IA), Leahy (D-VT), and Specter (PA), will expeditiously move through Congress and become law.  




******
ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits.

To subscribe to ALAWON, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc@ala.org or go to http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon.  To unsubscribe to ALAWON, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. 

ALA Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 403, Washington, D.C. 20004-1701; phone: 202.628.8410 or 800.941.8478 toll-free; fax: 202.628.8419; e-mail: alawash@alawash.org; Web site: http://www.ala.org/washoff.  Executive Director: Emily Sheketoff. Office of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley, Director; Camille Bowman, Mary Costabile, Don Essex, Patrice McDermott and Miriam Nisbet. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick Weingarten, Director; Jennifer Hendrix, Carrie Russell, Claudette Tennant. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.