mr. chairman , i rise in strong support of the waters ' amendment and in strong opposition to h.r. 3199 , the usa patriot and intelligence reform act of 2005 . 
`` national security letters '' subpoena personal records including telephone , internet , financial and consumer documents , but almost all records are included in this category . 
the waters ' amendment protects the rights of those individuals who are mentally incompetent , under undue stress , at risk for bodily harm or losing their employment from being forced to disclose information . 
it is an honest attempt to reinstate some balance to protect those who are among the most vulnerable under this legislation . 
but the underlying bill , mr. chairman , like the original patriot act , continues to trample on civil liberties . 
but this bill goes further . 
it makes fourteen of the most egregious components of the patriot act permanent . 
this is outrageous . 
this bill damages fundamental freedoms : by invading medical privacy by allowing the fbi to search in any location showing minimal justification by allowing for sneak and peak , national security letters , and roving `` john doe '' wire tap provisions by forcing libraries to police their patrons ( an act that this body just voted to overturn i might add ) and by stripping congress of the right to review and amend these provisions . 
these all are examples that blatantly undermine our constitution and do nothing to make us safer . 
mr. chairman , all of us understand the need to balance civil liberties with national security . 
and we can do this without sacrificing one for the other . 
mr. chairman , simply said , this bill is absolutely overreaching . 
the waters amendment protects the rights of those who are the overlooked victims of national security letters -- upholding the constitution is patriotic , even in times of national security crises . 
