WP: House-Senate Talks on Patriot Act Renewal Hit Snag on Privacy Issue

[DeepModem Mom]

House-Senate Talks on Patriot Act Renewal Hit Snag on Privacy Issue
By Charles Babington
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 25, 2006; Page A03


Efforts to resolve House and Senate differences over a revised USA Patriot Act have reached a stalemate, a key committee chairman said yesterday. That means the current version of the law is likely to remain in place through next month or longer unless Senate Democrats and a handful of Republicans drop their demands for greater privacy safeguards in a proposed renewal, the chairman said.

But another senator said that the Bush administration continues to discuss possible changes, and that a resolution of the impasse is still possible.

The law, passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, makes it easier for federal agents to secretly tap phones, obtain library and bank records, and search the homes of suspected terrorists. Many major provisions were scheduled to expire Dec. 31, but lawmakers extended them to Feb. 3 in hopes of resolving a House-Senate impasse on how to renew the act, with some changes, for four years.

Senate Democrats objected to the revision that emerged from a conference committee last year. When four Republicans joined them, they had a filibuster-proof contingent, preventing the proposal from winning Senate passage.

The chief House negotiator -- Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) -- has said his chamber is finished with talks, dimming hopes for a breakthrough. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) had accepted the House-Senate compromise as a less-than-perfect option. Yesterday, he told colleagues that it probably is the best deal they can get....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/24/AR2006012401415.html

[Canuckistanian]

1. Gee, I wonder why?

This is puzzling.

[rodeodance]

3. Stensenbrenner is in charge

[Canuckistanian]

5. 'Nuff said. n/t

[wordpix2]

2. uh, Bush's version of Patriot Act or the Constitution? Which one?

[lovuian]

4. 4 brave republicans I have to give them credit...

the rest of the Republicans are traitors to the Constitution...

[hang a left]

6. Why don't they just let the damn thing sunset???

We don't need it. ** has all the powers he needs that were granted to him by the authorization to use force....right??

[kurth]

7. Time to flush that piece of garbage

so unworthy of being called an American law.