American Library Association Praised for Leadership with Reauthorization of US Patriot Act
Showing remarkable quickness, the Senate passed S. 1389, reauthorizing and revising the USA PATRIOT Act, just one week after the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill through committee, and just hours before the Senate broke for its summer recess. The Senate version reflects many changes pressed for by the American Library Association and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) acknowledged ALA’s work on the Senate floor. "One of the most unlikely groups became so important in this debate–the American Library Association," Durbin said. "I cannot recall a time in recent memory when this organization showed such leadership…They sent us petitions gathered from libraries across the nation, and I think they really did good work on behalf of our Constitution and our rights and liberties guaranteed under the Bill of Rights. I wish to dedicate any success we have with this revision of the Patriot Act to the American Library Association and all those who stood with them."
The bill now must be reconciled in committee with the House of Representatives bill. ALA officials however, were more optimistic after the Senate bill included many of the "safeguards for library and reader privacy" that have been sought by the library community since the passage of the law in 2001, including tougher requirements for searching library records under Section 215. Both bills contain sunset provisions for section 215, with the House version lasting 10 years and the Senate version a preferable four years before review. The Senate bill also requires the FBI to "give facts showing reason to believe that the records sought are "relevant to" counter terrorism or counter intelligence Investigation." The House bill simply requires that the records be "relevant" to an investigation.
LJ Academic Newsire, Aug. 2, 2005
