mr. chairman , we are all watching what is happening in london ; and with that backdrop , we are discussing reauthorizing the patriot act today . 
we are all committed to finding and fighting terrorists . 
no one party , democrats or republicans , has exclusivity over this issue . 
we are all for stopping terrorists and protecting our citizens . 
while we are all committed to this fight , it is still our congressional duty to exercise our oversight responsibilities . 
we can do this effectively with sunset provisions . 
sunset provisions hold congress accountable for reexamining and determining the effectiveness and impact of the patriot act . 
as a member of the permanent select committee on intelligence , i hold this oversight responsibility as one , if not my most , important function . 
let me say up front that i think the patriot act provides essential tools for law enforcement authorities that were not available before the 9/11 attacks . 
these tools are essential to identifying and tracking terrorists inside the united states . 
the house permanent select committee on intelligence held two open hearings for the patriot act . 
these hearings led me to conclude that the patriot act , while good , is not perfect . 
additional time is needed to assess many of these provisions ' effectiveness and impact on civil liberties , and that is why we need to call for sunsets . 
it is clear to me that we still face serious threats and we need some of the powers of the patriot act . 
sunset provisions are important because they allow for review and oversight . 
oversight allows us to protect civil liberties ; but more importantly , it allows us to enhance law enforcement tools to keep pace with the terrorists . 
