WASHINGTON - October 29 - The Constitution Project joined a coalition of 20 advocacy organizations today in supporting the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009, legislation introduced last week in the House of Representatives by Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and Subcommittee Chairmen Jerrold Nadler and Bobby Scott. The coalition sent a joint letter to the legislation's sponsors, commending them for working to incorporate much-needed privacy protections into the overly-broad Patriot Act of 2001, while still providing the federal government with the surveillance authorities needed to keep our nation safe.

  The coalition letter states in part:

"We write to express our support for H.R. 3845, the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009. We commend you for introducing legislation that seeks to limit overly broad provisions of law that have unacceptably diminished Americans' privacy over the last eight years...We also urge members of the Committee to reject efforts to weaken the bill and to report it expeditiously to the full House of Representatives."

The USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009 addresses the three provisions of the Patriot Act scheduled to sunset at the end of the year - namely the business records, roving wiretap, and lone wolf provisions - as well as additional Patriot Act authorities including the provision on national security letters (NSLs). Two weeks ago, the Senate Judiciary Committee adopted its version of Patriot Act reform legislation to reauthorize expiring provisions with new sunsets. By a vote of 11 to 8, the USA PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act was sent to the Senate floor. The Senate legislation fails to include many of the needed reforms embodied in the House version, but does provide some improved privacy protections.

  The following can be attributed to Sharon Bradford Franklin, Constitution Project Senior Counsel:  

"The Constitution Project welcomes the introduction of the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009 and calls on the Obama administration to publicly support the critical reforms contained in this legislation. Earlier this month, when the Senate Judiciary Committee considered Patriot Act reforms, the administration was, at best, silent about whether it would support these constitutional safeguards, while press reports indicated that the administration did privately share its views with Senators before various protections were watered down during markup. We urge the administration now to recognize the importance of the reforms contained in the House bill, and offer its support for legislation that would enhance constitutional safeguards while still providing the government with the tools it needs to combat terrorism."  

To view the coalition letter send to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Conyers and Subcommittee Chairmen Nadler and Scott, go to: http://constitutionproject.org/manage/file/346.pdf

  Last month, the Constitution Project's Liberty and Security Committee released its Statement on Reforming the Patriot Act, signed by a diverse bipartisan group of 26 policy experts. To view the Statement, go to: http://www.constitutionproject.org/manage/file/340.pdf