mr. speaker , for the purpose of debate only , i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from new york ( ms. slaughter ) xz4003780 , pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
during consideration of this resolution , all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only . 
mr. speaker , h. res. 369 is a structured rule that provides 2 hours of general debate ; 1 hour and 30 minutes is equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the committee on the judiciary and 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the permanent select committee on intelligence . 
it waives all points of order against consideration of the bill . 
further , it provides that in lieu of the amendments recommended by the committee on the judiciary and the permanent select committee on intelligence now printed in the bill , the amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in part a of the committee on rules report shall be considered as the original bill for the purpose of amendment and shall be considered as read . 
it waives all points of order against the amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in part a of the committee on rules report . 
it makes in order only those amendments printed in part b of the committee on rules report which may be offered only in the order printed in the report , may be offered only by a member designated in the report , shall be considered as read , shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent , shall not be subject to amendment , and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the house or in the committee of the whole . 
it waives all points of order against the amendments printed in part b of the committee on rules report , and it provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions . 
mr. speaker , i rise this somber day in support of both house resolution 369 and the underlying bill , h.r. 3199 , the usa patriot and terrorism prevention reauthorization act of 2005 . 
mr. speaker , i would first like to extend my condolences and prayers to the people of britain who once again have fallen prey to terrorist bombs . 
i remain confident in not only the resolve of the british government led by tony blair , but also the resolve of the british people to stand firm against these cowards . 
as we consider our own measures against terrorism today , let us not forget our commitment to not only the protection of our homeland but also the protection of our allies . 
i would like to take this opportunity to thank the gentleman from wisconsin ( mr. sensenbrenner ) xz4003650 , the distinguished chairman of the committee on the judiciary and the author of h.r. 3199 , and , of course , the ranking member , the gentleman from michigan ( mr. conyers ) xz4000800 . 
i would also like to thank the chairman of the permanent select committee on intelligence , the gentleman from michigan ( mr. hoekstra ) xz4001820 , and the ranking member , the gentlewoman from california ( ms. harman ) xz4001660 , for their leadership on such an important piece of legislation . 
after 4 years of thorough hearings and extensive oversight , h.r. 3199 represents a collaborative effort to fine-tune our law enforcement needs and to ensure the continuation of necessary protections created by the 2001 usa patriot act . 
additionally , through its important oversight role , this congress has also demonstrated a clear commitment to achieving the essential and proper balance between necessary protective measures and our cherished civil liberties . 
mr. speaker , like most legislation considered before this house , h.r. 3199 is not perfect ; and in an ideal world , it would not be necessary . 
however , today 's world is sadly far from ideal and america faces a grave threat from a cowardly enemy that operates under the cover of shadows biding its time with the intent to kill innocent people in the name of an ideology of hate . 
these murdering terrorists lack any sense of decency . 
they have absolutely no respect for either human life or the rule of law . 
therefore , it is imperative that this congress act decisively and deliberately to update and extend those statutes guaranteeing law enforcement has every tool it needs to combat these terrorists and bring them to justice . 
when congress first enacted the usa patriot act in 2001 , it did so of course in response to the attacks of 9/11 . 
congress included in this legislation many sunset provisions to ensure an opportunity to review and address the effectiveness of these additional law enforcement capabilities after their enactment . 
having performed these necessary reviews with substantial bipartisan involvement and testimony , both the committee on the judiciary and the permanent select committee on intelligence have produced a bill today that will strengthen our ability to fight the war on terrorism here at home . 
since the events of 9/11 , our american law enforcement and intelligence operations , along with our international partners , have identified and disrupted over 150 terrorist threats and cells with the help of the tools provided by the usa patriot act . 
additionally , h.r. 3199 reflects a continued need of law enforcement to respond to an ever-changing technological landscape . 
mr. speaker , terrorists are not relying on courier pigeons and rotary telephones to coordinate their acts of destruction . 
while cellular telephones and the internet make our everyday lives simpler , they also provide terrorists with new opportunities to move quickly among the shadows while still communicating with their counterparts . 
therefore , h.r. 3199 will make sure law enforcement and intelligence authorities still have the ability to track terrorists through the use of multipoint or roving wire taps that follow the terrorists rather than the telephone . 
additionally , h.r. 3199 will allow the law enforcement , intelligence , and national defense community to communicate and coordinate among each other to protect the american people and our national security . 
unnecessary barriers should never be allowed to compromise american safety . 
for the most part , the usa patriot act did not create any new law enforcement capabilities , but rather extended techniques that we were using against mobsters and drug dealers to terrorists . 
if law enforcement can use these tools to catch some street-corner dope pusher , then it should be allowed to use these tools against suspected terrorists . 
mr. speaker , i must also say that i have heard from many people back home in the 11th district of georgia who express some concerns about this legislation . 
while they want our law enforcement to have the tools they need , they remain cautious , even dubious of additional government power . 
to that point i recently received a letter from david nahmias . 
mr. nahmias is a united states attorney for the northern district of georgia . 
with respect to the usa patriot act he wrote : `` from my perspective as a prosecutor on the front lines of the fight against terrorism , it is difficult to overstate how important the usa patriot act has been to the government 's ability to preserve and protect our nation 's liberty in the face of continuing terrorist threats. '' his deputy u.s. attorney is my good friend , jim martin . 
with over 25 years ' experience as a federal prosecutor , he also assured me in a private conversation of the success of and the need to preserve the patriot act . 
mr. nahmias goes on to write how the provisions from this act aided in recovering a 13-year-old girl who had been lured and held captive by a man she met online . 
mr. speaker , like many of my colleagues , including the distinguished chairman of the committee on the judiciary , i am also concerned and in all honesty extremely hesitant to grant additional powers to the government . 
however , i believe that we in this congress will continue to remain vigilant , continue to execute necessary and thorough oversight so that our constitutionally protected civil liberties will never be jeopardized or diminished in the fight to stop terrorism and to protect the american people . 
that said , i would like to emphasize that since its enactment , there have been zero , and let me repeat zero , verified instances of civil liberty abuses under the usa patriot act found by the inspector general of the justice department . 
and i firmly hope as we move forward with h.r. 3199 and we continue to operate under the patriot act that that statistic will remain intact . 
mr. speaker , i would again like to thank the gentleman from wisconsin ( chairman sensenbrenner ) ; the gentleman from michigan ( mr. conyers ) xz4000800 , the ranking member ; the gentleman from michigan ( chairman hoekstra ) ; and the ranking member , the gentlewoman from california ( ms. harman ) xz4001660 , all for their dedicated work and commitment to both the liberties of the american people and the needs of law enforcement and the intelligence community . 
their efforts on this crucial issue are laudable , indeed , heroic , and they are to be commended . 
i remain confident that this congress will continue to stay on top of our security needs and continue to work for a stronger , freer america . 
i want to encourage all of my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying bill for the sake of a secure nation and the safety of the american people . 
mr. speaker , i reserve the balance of my time . 
