mr. speaker , i thank the ranking member for yielding me time . 
mr. speaker , as many have said , we are all watching events unfold in london this morning , hoping that this is not another gruesome act of terrorism . 
if they can strike twice in the heart of london , a city on high alert , then just think what they might try to do in any city in america . 
that is why we need tough tools here at home to uncover terror cells and disrupt their plans . 
the patriot act modernizes law enforcement 's tools to uncover those plots . 
most of the act is not objectionable , but it is far from perfect , and there are several key provisions that allow the government to engage in unnecessarily broad searches and surveillance of innocent americans . 
that is why i strongly believe we should mend it , not end it . 
the permanent select committee on intelligence tried to mend it , but the committee on rules did not make any of our amendments in order . 
nine of us offered responsible , common-sense amendments : to establish the traditional fisa standard for search warrants and trap and trace/pen register authorities , to ensure that the government can not seize your personal records unless they are related to a foreign power ; to tighten the ability of the fbi to conduct roving wiretaps , to ensure that only terror suspects and their enablers , not innocent americans , are wiretapped ; to re-sunset the key provisions in the act in another 4 years to assure accountability and effective congressional oversight , and specifically to sunset the lone wolf provision , enacted only 8 months ago , in 2010 ; finally , to prohibit the fbi from using the broad fisa powers to get bookstore or library documentary records , a provision which passed this house last month on a strong bipartisan vote . 
mr. speaker , the hastings amendment to sunset the lone wolf provision was accepted by the chairman of our committee , the gentleman from michigan ( mr. hoekstra ) xz4001820 . 
he accepted the amendment and it passed on a bipartisan vote . 
the gentleman from florida ( mr. hastings ) xz4001702 is a valued member of the committee on rules , but his own committee stripped out his amendment in the base bill and did not even allow him to offer it on the floor . 
this is about intelligence . 
the committee on rules should not be able to block the will of democrats and republicans on the permanent select committee on intelligence to improve the patriot act . 
mr. speaker , this rule undermines the will of the house and blocks us from mending and improving critical tools in this era of terror . 
