mr. chairman , i thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time to discuss this very important issue . 
the patriot act has sparked important discussion about protecting ourselves from terrorists and protecting our civil liberties . 
it is clear we can make reforms to better ensure we are giving law enforcement all of the tools they need while maintaining the appropriate safeguards to protect the very freedoms we cherish . 
last week as the ranking member of the subcommittee on human intelligence with the gentleman from california ( mr. cunningham ) xz4000910 as the chairman , i was able to include a reform so the patriot act ensures greater judicial oversight of government wiretaps . 
the so-called john doe roving wiretaps are a critical tool in our efforts to fight terrorism because they allow surveillance when neither the target 's identity nor location of the interception is known . 
this amendment allows these wiretaps to continue , but requires the government to report back to the courts with an explanation of the facts and circumstances surrounding the rationale of the wiretap . 
this will allow greater oversight of the wiretaps without impeding the government 's need to obtain information on potential terrorist plots quickly . 
if we focus on commonsense reforms , we can protect our communities from terrorists , and we can protect our civil liberties . 
