mr. chairman , i thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time on this very important issue . 
i also rise , like my colleagues , understanding that we face a situation that is potentially very dangerous , especially given the events of this morning again in london . 
but i also think it is important and prudent that we craft legislation that protects our country not just from the terrorists but also from abuses . 
i rise today , mr. chairman , to express my disappointment with this house for not allowing my fellow colleague on the permanent select committee on intelligence , the gentleman from florida ( mr. hastings ) xz4001702 , to offer an amendment which is important to h.r. 3199 , the usa patriot act reauthorization . 
his amendment would have extended until 2010 the sunset date of section 6001 of the intelligence reform and terrorism prevention act , also known as the `` lone wolf '' provision . 
instead , the bill before us makes that provision permanent . 
it has only been in effect for 7 months , which is , in my opinion , an inadequate amount of time for the government and the public to assess the impact this significant expansion of government authorities has . 
we are having this debate today , mr. chairman , because 4 years ago congress had the wisdom to include sunset provisions in the patriot act . 
these sunsets are key to ensuring individual rights and liberties as well as allowing congress to continue to evaluate the effectiveness of this act . 
mr. chairman , i understand the need for this legislation , and i will support the passage today . 
however , i hope that my colleagues understand that if we are to continue much further down this road we may be doing irreparable damage to civil liberties in this country without sunset provisions . 
