mr. speaker , i thank my colleague on the rules committee for yielding me this time , and i would like to say this is a good debate not only that we are having right now but that we will have throughout the day on a very important act , that being the usa patriot act . 
i rise today in support of the rule and the underlying legislation . 
the usa patriot and terrorism prevention reauthorization act of 2005 provides america with the necessary tools to protect our homeland from terrorist threats while maintaining our cherished freedoms . 
i would like to say in discussion on what occurred in the rules committee , the minority asked that we extend the debate on the patriot act to 2 hours , and we are going to be seeing that later this afternoon . 
i think the patriot act is debated every day in the halls not only of congress but workplaces , certainly law enforcement officers ; and i think all of us are trying to strike that balance between protecting personal liberties and protecting the homeland . 
times have changed . 
in this bill that we are about to consider , we will be considering an amendment that i am putting forth . 
the amendment that i wish to address is extremely timely today , unfortunately , for those living in great britain in that it will reform the wrecking trains statute of 1940 to impose greater penalties for those who seek to terrorize individuals on mass transportation , particularly trains . 
we are seeing this morning the news out of london that another attack has been orchestrated , although i did not see the details of exactly who and what is accountable for that . 
but it sends shivers down the spine , i think , of every american knowing the pain and suffering that is going on in london as we speak . 
it is important in this amendment that i am going to be offering to realize that current legal practices are not punitive enough to be any kind of a deterrent to anybody who is considering a massive or a large attack on trains or mass transportation . 
so i think we can agree that more stringent penalties would be in order . 
i support this rule , i support the debate that we are going to see going forth , and i support the reauthorization of the patriot act . 
