madam speaker , i yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from maryland ( mr. ruppersberger ) xz4003490 , distinguished member of the intelligence committee . 
mr. ruppersberger . 
madam speaker , the patriot act provided tools essential to identifying and tracking terrorists that were not available before the 9/11 terrorist attacks . 
at the time it passed , just 7 weeks after 9/11 , there were concerns that some of the authorities were too broad and susceptible to abuse . 
the sensible proposal emerged to sunset 16 of the most controversial provisions . 
sunsets matter . 
they forced the justice department and the american public to evaluate the appropriateness of , and need for , the patriot act . 
without sunsets , congress probably would not have undertaken the same review of key provisions this year and considered significant changes to the law . 
for those reasons i offered an amendment to extend the patriot act sunset during the intelligence committee markup of h.r. 3199 . 
i am pleased this conference report includes 4-year sunsets on the most controversial provisions : 215 orders , 206 roving wiretaps , and the lone wolf provision . 
but additional steps , however , must be taken to ensure the right balance is struck between security and constitutionality . 
congress must engage in vigilant oversight of the patriot act , national security letters , and other authorities granted to law enforcement and intelligence agencies . 
i am committed to doing my part as a member of the house select intelligence committee to ensure proper oversight occurs . 
