Support Feingold's PATRIOT Act Amendments

From the Bill of Rights Defense Committee:

Late yesterday, Senator Russ Feingold gained Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's commitment to postpone a final vote on the House-Senate PATRIOT Act reauthorization "conference report" (to accompany H.R. 3199) until March 1. A vote on Senator John Sununu's bill, S. 2271, which makes a few insignificant changes to the conference report, is expected later today and is likely to win. Senate Judiciary Chair Arlen Specter (R-PA) acknowledged that Sununu's amendments were merely cosmetic and said, "Sometimes cosmetics will make a beauty out of a beast and provide enough cover for senators to change their vote."

Please continue to support Senator Feingold's courageous effort to pass stronger safeguards by urging your Senators to support Senator Feingold's four proposed amendments! Thus far Senator Frist has refused to consider votes on those amendments. Call both your Senators via the Capitol switchboard, 202-224-3121 (24 hours), or look up their numbers at http://www.senate.gov. Find out whether your congressional representatives are holding town hall meetings in your area during their recess next week (week of February 20th).

Summary of Senator Feingold's amendments: (Read Senator Feingold's prepared floor statement for today here.)

• Guard against "fishing expeditions" by replacing amendment to section 215 business records orders in the conference report with the more meaningful relevance standard in Senate reauthorization bill S. 1389, which would require a connection between private records sought to a suspected foreign terrorist or spy rather than simply to an authorized intelligence investigation.
• Give third-party recipients of business records orders and National Security Letters a meaningful opportunity to challenge automatic, permanent gag orders.
• Add a four-year sunset on section 505, National Security Letters
• On section 213, "sneak and peek" searches, reduce initial notification deadline from 30 days to 7 days (retaining ability to go to court for extensions if needed).

Other suggested talking points about changes needed to the conference report:

• Remove the new provision that expands the authority of the Secret Service and allows them to arrest demonstrators at any 'special event of national significance' if they believe there has been a breach of a security perimeter. Demonstrators can be charged with a felony, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison. (This amendment was added to the conference report without any hearings or discussion.)
• Eliminate proposed new death penalties from the reauthorization.

Please don't forget to remind your senators of the resolutions passed in their state, and of the 403 resolutions passed nationwide! Look up your state's resolutions here: http://www.bordc.org/list.php?sortAlpha=1.

Find more talking points here: http://www.bordc.org/callin.php.

DON’T DELAY! Call your senators now, and urge your friends and contacts to join you.