OxfordPress.com

Patriot Act extension advances

Washington — The House voted Wednesday to keep key provisions of the Patriot Act from expiring at week's end, a move meant to give the Senate more time to seek ways to address civil liberties concerns in the anti-terrorism legislation.

A Senate vote to extend the provisions until March 10 is expected as early as today. Otherwise, 16 provisions — about 10 percent of the massive legislation — are set to expire Friday.

The last-minute voice vote followed months of wrangling over how to strike the right balance of giving law enforcement and intelligence agencies more tools to combat terrorists while preserving civil rights.

The law allows federal agents to use wiretaps and conduct secret searches of households and businesses as part of terrorism investigations, and to share information more easily with intelligence agencies.

Urging renewal of the provisions, House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) said the Justice Department was closely monitoring the implementation of the act's provisions. Its inspector general's office has found no evidence that the law has resulted in the denial of individual liberties or the abuse of investigative powers, he said.

Sensenbrenner said amendments approved in the House in December would add 27 new safeguards against potential abuse.

Democrats, however, said the issue wasn't whether to extend the Patriot Act, but how best to strengthen it without compromising constitutional rights.

"None of us want to be hit again," said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). "But we do want to protect our civil liberties."