On the Agenda: Week of April 30 – May 5, 2012

After a flurry of activity in the last two week, Congress is in recess again this week, but they’ll be back next week.

Next month, both the House and Senate will mark up the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act. You’ll recall the big fight we had last year over the 2012 NDAA, which codifed indefinite military detention without charge or trial into law for the first time in American history. The NDAA tends to become a bit of a magnet for wide range of military-related amendments as it’s considered a “must-pass” bill. As Congress tackles the 2013 NDAA, we’re looking not only for last year’s detention language to be fixed but will be keeping our eye out for more civil liberties related issues. The House Armed Services Committee will have its markup in early May, then it’ll go to the House floor for amendments. Senate markup is expected in late May. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the whole process, so stay tuned to the blog for updates.

Now that the House passed CISPA despite a veto threat from the Obama administration, look for the Senate to start work on its own cybersecurity legislation in May.

Tuesday, May 1

Tomorrow, Occupy will take to the streets across the country. Know before you go: Be sure to check these important resources:

• Our blog post on protestors’ rights after the passage of H.R. 347,
• Know Your Rights: Protests and Demonstrations
• Know Your Rights: Photographers

ACLU staff across the country will be monitoring events for police abuse or infringements on lawful First Amendment-protected activity; we urge anyone who witnesses or experiences any abuse to let us know.

Saturday, May 5

The military commissions at Guantánamo Bay will proceed on Saturday, May 5, with the arraignment of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other detainees accused of participating in the 9/11 attacks. The ACLU’s Executive Director Anthony Romero will be on hand to serve as an official human rights observer, and National Security Project Staff Attorney Zachary Katznelson will also monitor the proceedings via a live feed in Fort Meade, Maryland.

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