mr. chairman , there is no greater responsibility of government than to protect its people from harm . 
that was the intent of the patriot act -- legislation authored a month after the september 11th attacks 4 years ago . 
and like any bill quickly passed into law , particularly one this expansive , the patriot act has worked well in some respects , but less so in others , and in some cases , with unintended consequences . 
all that is understandable , but making the entire bill work well with the benefit of 4 years hindsight ought to be the challenge before us today . 
but this legislation is not the entire patriot act passed into law 4 years ago -- it is only 16 provisions of that law , most of which were set to expire or sunset . 
this year , we are failing to consider some of the most ineffective and overreaching provisions of the patriot act . 
we are making only the most modest changes to others . 
and , in the case of the so-called `` sneak and peek '' provision , we are actually making matters worse . 
indeed , under this bill , judges can order searches or seizures without telling the targets for up to 6 months after the search . 
this bill also expands authority to access medical records and bookstore and library records . 
and even though it allows recipients of such subpoenas to consult an attorney , there is no requirement that law enforcement show that the information they are seeking is even part of a terrorism investigation . 
and while this provision will be revisited again in 10 years , almost all the others are made permanent -- access to e-mail and internet records , wiretap authority , the disclosure of internet records in emergencies , the use of search warrants to seize voice mail . 
these are all fundamental matters of privacy -- privacy we would all agree terrorists are not entitled to , but the average american is . 
by insisting 14 of the 16 expiring provisions in this bill be made permanent , we are essentially abdicating our responsibility as members of congress to make sure we strike the right balance of giving law enforcement the tools they need to catch terrorists while still upholding the basic rights to which every american is entitled . 
mr. chairman , this bill is a matter of security -- of homeland security , national security and the security of every american 's right to privacy . 
let us honor our obligations and uphold each of those responsibilities . 
