12/09/2005 - Individual Liberties & Opposition to Reauthorization of PATRIOT Act

From: Elizabeth Milner, LWVPA President, lwvpa@epix.net and Susan Fields, Civil Liberties Specialist, sudofields@aol.com

LWVPA hereby issues to its members the following Action Alert which LWVUS announced today opposing reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act:

ACTION ALERT: OPPOSE THE REAUTHORIZATION OF THE PATRIOT ACT

Urgent action is still needed to oppose the conference report on H.R. 3199, the reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act! The latest version reported by the House and Senate conference committee on December 8 provides for more government secrecy in the name of homeland security and anti-terrorism without the checks and balances needed to protect civil liberties. Medical, banking or library records of Americans can still be obtained by law enforcement without necessary safeguards. Take action now to oppose the reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act!

This bill makes most provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act permanent and then extends three of the most controversial provisions. It does not sufficiently protect civil liberties. It fails to restore checks and balances that were taken away by the USA PATRIOT Act.

Tell your Members of Congress to vote for civil liberties and to vote NO on this expansion of the PATRIOT Act!

ACTION NEEDED
1. Contact your U.S. Senators and Representative NOW, by phone and by email. Urge them to guard our civil liberties by rejecting the conference report on H.R. 3199, the reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act. Tell them that the bill goes too far, expanding the reach of law enforcement at the expense of basic civil liberties. Phone calls can be made through the Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121

2. Alert other concerned citizens—your grassroots network, your friends and coworkers. Encourage them to contact their members of Congress today! BACKGROUND

For the past 85 years, members of the League have been steadfast in their conviction that the need to protect against security threats to America must be balanced with the need to preserve the very liberties that are the foundation of this country. There are fundamental principles that guard our liberty -- from independent judicial review of law enforcement actions to prohibitions on indiscriminate searches -- that must be preserved.

Since passage of the USA PATRIOT Act, Leagues across the country have been holding citizens’ forums on homeland security and civil liberties. What we have learned from these meetings is that the public wants and needs more information from their government officials, not more secrecy.

The conference report to H.R. 3199 continues and expands the USA PATRIOT Act in the following important ways:

• “Sneak and peek” searches (Sec. 213) will continue using a broad standard that does not provide for adequate judicial oversight.

• Information about Americans, such as medical, banking or library records, can still be obtained by law enforcement without necessary safeguards (Sec. 215).

• The FBI will continue to obtain the records of innocent Americans through National Security Letters (NSL) without even going to a court. Under this reauthorization, new enforcement subpoenas can be sent to any business that does not comply with an NSL for any of a wide range of records. It was ecently reported that the incidence of National Security Letters being used has increased to an alarming 30,000 annually.

• Extends the sunsets for the most controversial provisions. The conference report makes most provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act permanent and then extends three of the most controversial provisions.

For additional information, please contact LWVUS Grassroots Lobbyist Angela Canterbury at lobbying@lwv.org.

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