mr. speaker , for the purpose of debate only , i yield 30 minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts ( mr. mcgovern ) xz4002630 , 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 , house resolution 595 waives all points of order against the conference report and against its consideration . 
i rise today in support of house resolution 595 and the underlying conference report for h.r. 3199 , the usa patriot and terrorism prevention reauthorization act of 2005 . 
mr. speaker , i would first like to take this opportunity to thank chairmen sensenbrenner and king for all of their work in shepherding h.r. 3199 initially in the committee and then on the floor and now through the conference . 
this conference report demonstrates this congress 's commitment to find common ground in order to move solid and important legislation for the good and safety of the american people . 
this conference report is the culmination of 4 years of thorough hearings , extensive oversight , representing a collaborative effort to strengthen and fine tune our law enforcement needs and civil security needs as originally provided by the 2001 usa patriot act . 
like most americans , i fully cherish and celebrate our constitutionally protected civil liberties , while also recognizing the need for strengthened national security with thorough and proper oversight . 
and this congress has demonstrated and will continue to demonstrate a clear commitment to oversight in order to better achieve the essential and proper balance between necessary protective measures and our sacred civil liberties granted to us by the united states constitution . 
as i mentioned , when the house first considered this legislation back in july , mr. speaker , h.r. 3199 , like most legislation considered before this house , is not perfect . 
in an ideal world , it would not be necessary , but today 's world is sadly far from ideal . 
today , america faces a grave threat from enemies who cowardly operate in the darkness of shadows , waiting with the intent to kill innocent people in the name of their hateful ideology . 
therefore , we must never again be caught with our guard down . 
this congress must act and must act decisively and deliberately to provide our law enforcement with the tools they need to protect and to save american lives , both here and abroad . 
with respect to the provisions of this legislation , mr. speaker , this conference report will make permanent many vital law enforcement tools made available for use against suspected terrorists by the usa patriot act while establishing 4-year sunsets on a few provisions such as section 206 , fisa , foreign intelligence surveillance act , multi-point wire taps , section 215 , fisa business record provisions and finally , the lone wolf provision . 
with respect to section 206 , it is important to recognize that the ability to track terrorists through the use of multi point or roving wire taps is essential because it allows law enforcement to follow a terrorist , rather than a telephone . 
mr. speaker , terrorists are not reliant on two dixie cups and a piece of string to coordinate and plot terrorist attacks . 
they have access to a universal and a vast array of communication technologies , and our laws must take this fact into account . 
additionally , this conference report , through section 215 , ensures that law enforcement will still have the ability , under thorough and extensive oversight , let me repeat , under thorough and extensive oversight , to seek out information on terrorists without tipping them off and thereby potentially compromising security and costing lives . 
again , mr. speaker , it should be emphasized to all americans that the usa patriot act did not establish any new law enforcement capabilities but rather extended techniques long available for use against organized crime or drug trafficking to be used against suspected terrorists as well . 
if these are acceptable tools against some dope-pushing thug , then they should be acceptable tools against terrorists who seek to destroy american lives and rip apart the very fabric of this great nation . 
without question , this congress must , and i trust , will continue to remain vigilant with thorough oversight to protect our constitution , to protect our civil liberties and to protect our national security . 
mr. speaker , i encourage all of my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying conference report , and i reserve the balance of my time . 
