Lawmakers Call for Senate Version of Patriot Act Reform, ACLU Commends Bipartisan Support for Modest Corrections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media@dcaclu.org

WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today commended lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, and in both chambers of Congress, for calling for modest reforms to the Patriot Act. In bipartisan “Dear Conferee” letters addressed to members of Congress ironing out the differences between the House and Senate Patriot Act reauthorization bills, 163 members of the House and 25 members of the Senate called for the adoption of the Senate version.

The following can be attributed to Lisa Graves, ACLU Senior Counsel for Legislative Strategy:

“We applaud these lawmakers from across the political spectrum for standing up for freedom. These men and women have heard the nearly 400 communities nationwide that have passed resolutions calling for Congress to bring the Patriot Act back in line with the Constitution by restoring proper checks and balances on government power. We hope that the House conferees, once named, and the Senate conferees will listen to their constituents and their fellow lawmakers.

“The Senate’s requirement of a factual connection to a suspected terrorist– before the confidential records of ordinary Americans and of American businesses are turned over to the FBI– is just common sense. In addition to the ACLU, groups like the American Conservative Union and the Chamber of Commerce, among many others, have insisted on this and other modest reforms that help ensure that we are both safe and free.”