Patriot Act Intact but Under Fire in Congress - July 12, 2004 Vol.5, No.14

July 12, 2004 Vol.5, No.14:

Published: 07/12/2004

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Patriot Act Intact but Under Fire in Congress

In a vote reflecting disagreement among Republican leaders and several conservative members of Congress over the USA Patriot Act, the House of Representatives defeated by the thinnest possible margin an effort to reign in the government's power to require libraries and booksellers to reveal the books people are reading.

Libraries and booksellers, including the American Library Association and American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, have gathered over 100,000 signatures in a campaign to support the Freedom to Read Protection Act, yet the House deadlocked on the bill.

The limits on the Patriot Act appeared to pass, but House leaders extended the voting deadline and convinced enough members to switch their votes to deadlock the chamber into a 210-210 tie, enough to kill the measure. The White House had earlier threatened a veto. It was not easy for Republican leaders to defeat the measure and prevent changes to the Patriot Act, which has been severely criticized ever since its hasty passage in the hazy weeks after 9/11.