Patriot Act Extended Again by Five Weeks

Negotiations between House and Senate to boost law’s civil liberties protections continue

By Laura B. Weiss -- School Library Journal, 3/1/2006

Congress voted February 2 to extend the antiterrorism Patriot Act by five weeks while lawmakers and the Bush administration continued to negotiate renewing 16 controversial provisions of the law.

At press time, key senators were still trying to craft a deal with House members to bolster the bill’s civil liberties protections and allow for its final passage. Certain provisions were given a four-year expiration date when the law was hastily passed following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and will expire without reauthorization.

Library supporters hope that the differences between the two sides—some of which involve the so-called “library provision”—will be resolved quickly. Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) is one of a few Senators trying to boost the law’s civil liberties protections. The most controversial provisions give the government expanded powers of search and seizure, including the authority to demand the library records of a suspected terrorist.