madam speaker , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
madam speaker , my staff has prepared for me an opening statement on this bill , and i am going to put the opening statement in the record and not read it , because after listening to the debate on the rule that was just concluded , the amount of misinformation and misleading information that has been placed in the & lt ; /em & gt ; & lt ; em & gt ; congressional record relating to the usa patriot act is just absolutely astounding . 
first of all , let me say that when the original patriot act was enacted in october of 2001 , there were expanded powers that were given to law enforcement in 16 sections , and i was the person that insisted upon a 4-year sunset being placed on each and every one of the powers of law enforcement that were expanded . 
i was successful in that effort , and we have had this sunset , during which time the judiciary committee has conducted vigorous oversight . 
i have heard allegations that have been made on the other side of the aisle that there has been no oversight by the judiciary committee and that we were lacking and that we were negligent in doing the oversight . 
madam speaker , this is the written record of the oversight that has taken place over the last 4 years . 
i would submit that there has been no other provision of current law that has been subjected to as extensive oversight as the judiciary committee has done on a bipartisan basis on the usa patriot act . 
how have we done this oversight ? 
we have done this oversight through letters to the department of justice , usually cosigned by the gentleman from michigan ( mr. conyers ) xz4000800 and myself . 
and when the department of justice has been nonresponsive , we have been like the crabby professors asking them to do it again and again until they get it right and to disclose the information that congress is entitled to . 
the judiciary committee has done oversight through hearings beginning in 2003 . 
those records are open to the public . 
the judiciary committee and its subcommittee on crime , terrorism and homeland security has done oversight through briefings . 
those briefings have been open to members of both parties . 
and when we came up to the reauthorization process , i would remind you , madam speaker , and the members of the house of representatives , that i strongly opposed a premature striking of the sunset or extending the sunset in the last congress . 
and i said that , when the time came to do the reauthorization , the judiciary committee would deal with the reauthorization on a section-by-section basis . 
we did that . 
i fulfilled that promise . 
there were 12 hearings , and i am going to insert into the record the chronology of those hearings and who testified at those hearings , many of whom were witnesses that the minority asked to have testify and who did . 
now , what came out of this ? 
it came out of the testimony , including participation by minority witnesses , that 14 of the 16 sunsetted sections were noncontroversial , and as a result , both the committee and this house and the other body made those sections permanent because there was no need for a sunsetted review . 
a few minutes ago , we heard allegations that this was irresponsible . 
the record shows that this was the responsible thing to do . 
the two sections that were passed in 2001 that were not made permanent related to section 215 , the business records or so-called library provisions , and the so-called multipoint wiretaps or roving wiretaps in section 206 . 
in both section 215 and in section 206 , we have put in this conference report additional restrictions that protect civil liberties . 
they have been subjected to a 4-year sunset , as requested by the senate , rather than the 10-year sunset in the house-passed bill . 
and if anybody is interested in going into detail as to what those additional protections consist of , i will be happy to do that at a later time . 
the other provision that is sunsetted in this bill was not put in the original usa patriot act , it was put in the intelligence bill that was enacted about a year ago . 
that involved expanding law enforcement powers in the so-called lone wolf terrorist . 
that is also subjected to a 4-year sunset so we can see what happens in terms of how the justice department and law enforcement deals with the issues . 
now , what did all of this oversight disclose ? 
first of all , it disclosed that none of the 16 provisions where law enforcement powers were expanded has been declared unconstitutional by any federal court whatsoever . 
there was a finding of unconstitutionality relative to the national security letters provision of law . 
but the national security letters provision of law was not passed in the patriot act . 
it was passed in 1986 , 15 years before september 11 , in a bill that was written by a member of the other body who has been very critical of this conference report . 
we are concerned about national security letters . 
and this conference report , even though the national security letters provisions were not contained in the patriot act , put restrictions on national security letters so that there would be increased disclosure and a potential judicial review process . 
now , we have heard an awful lot about delayed notification warrants , and we heard more complaints about them from people who are criticizing this conference report . 
i want to make it perfectly clear that all the patriot act did was to give law enforcement the authority to use a delayed notification warrant for terrorist purposes that law enforcement had had for drug trafficking and organized crime and racketeering . 
and in the case of the last two matters , the organized crime and racketeering and drug trafficking , the united states supreme court has upheld delayed notification warrants as constitutional and not in violation of the fourth amendment . 
this conference report provides additional civil liberties protection in the area of the business records section , in the area of the delayed notification warrants section , in the area of the roving wiretap section , and in the area of national security letters . 
if it is voted down , all of these protections for civil liberties will go down with this conference report , and we will be back to the existing patriot act under the proposal that has been advocated by my distinguished ranking member from michigan ( mr. conyers ) xz4000800 and members on the other side of the capitol building . 
the patriot act has been a vital tool in the interception and prevention of terrorist activities , and if it is allowed to expire , the first consequence will be that the wall that prevented the cia and the fbi from exchanging intelligence information prior to 9/11 will go back up . 
and if there is one thing the 9/11 commission said repeatedly , it is that the stovepiping of intelligence information between various agencies of the federal government prevented our government from being able to try to connect the dots to see what the terrorists were doing before 3 , 000 people were killed on september 11 , 2001 . 
the consequence of letting the patriot act expire will be a boon to terrorists because they will be able to exploit all of the vulnerabilities in our legal system that allowed them to pull 9/11 off . 
and as a result , i do not think that that is the responsible thing to do . 
the congress , and this house in particular , have three choices : one is to let the act expire , and back goes the wall , and we can not use delayed notification warrants to figure out what the terrorists are doing , but we can for drug pushers and mafia dons . 
we can not try to get business records of terrorists doing business , whether it is at libraries or elsewhere . 
and those warrants , by the way , have to be issued by the courts , so there is judicial review before they are issued . 
the second thing is to extend the existing law , whether it is for 3 months , as mr. conyers xz4000800 has proposed , or for a longer period of time , which means that all of the civil liberties protections that i have just described will not be in the law , and they will all be lost . 
and i think that would be a shame . 
or we can pass the conference report . 
that is what we should do . 
now , since the beginning of this country 's history , we have given law enforcement and prosecutors a lot of discretion . 
and anybody who has a lot of discretion , whether it is the attorney general of the united states or the cop on the beat , has the potential of abusing the discretion . 
there has not been an abuse of discretion in the patriot act . 
the inspector general 's reports to congress on abuses of the patriot act that are required by the original law have said that there are none . 
yes , there is the potential for abuse , and that is what oversight and the civil liberties protections that are contained in the original law and improved in this conference report is all about . 
the patriot act keeps us safer . 
it does not make us perfectly safe ; it keeps us safer . 
the record here shows that civil liberties have not been trampled upon . 
the responsible alternative for the congress to do is to pass this conference report . 
we should do so promptly . 
madam speaker , i rise in strong support of the conference report accompanying h.r. 3199 , the `` usa patriot improvement and reauthorization act of 2005. '' in the wake of the attacks of september 11 , 2001 , congressional and independent investigations showed that terrorists exploited historic divisions between the law enforcement and intelligence communities that prevented authorities from `` connecting the dots '' in time to avert the attacks . 
to address this vulnerability , broad bipartisan majorities in both houses passed the patriot act to enhance investigatory tools necessary to detect and prevent terrorist attacks . 
since its enactment , u.s. law enforcement and intelligence authorities have utilized these tools to gain critical knowledge of the intentions of foreign-based terrorists while preempting terrorist threats on our own soil . 
the patriot act has made america safer , but the threat has not receded . 
without congressional passage of this conference report , key provisions of the patriot act will no longer be available to our law enforcement on january 1 , 2006 -- two weeks away . 
it is crucial to note at the outset that h.r. 3199 , which passed the house by a vote of 257-171 , and the amendment to this legislation unanimously approved by the other body , underscore bipartisan and bicameral support for core provisions of the patriot act . 
there was broad agreement to make fourteen of the sixteen expiring provisions permanent , and the conference report does so . 
after exhaustive and comprehensive negotiations in which all conferees were provided an opportunity to extensively participate , the conference report sunsets these two provisions in four years . 
the conference report also contains vital provisions to reduce america 's vulnerability to terrorist attack . 
the patriot act breached the `` wall of separation '' between law enforcement and the intelligence community ; the conference report we consider today ensures that it will not be rebuilt . 
the patriot act strengthened the penalties for attacks against mass transportation systems and our nation 's airports ; the conference report enhances these penalties to reflect the urgent threat that the london and madrid attacks have underlined . 
the patriot act helped reduce terrorist funding sources , requiring terrorists to establish and rely upon criminal schemes to finance their murderous ambitions ; the conference report adapts to this threat by enhancing penalties against narco-terrorism and other terrorist criminal enterprises . 
the conference report also addresses the clear danger to america 's communities posed by methamphetamine . 
it restricts internet and mobile vendor sales of the precursors necessary to produce methamphetamine , enhances criminal penalties for its sale and manufacture , targets large meth kingpins , and enhances tools necessary to stop meth trafficking across the southwest border . 
passing these anti-methamphetamine provisions is vital , and i congratulate the gentleman from indiana , mr. souder , for his leadership on this issue . 
now let me talk about the process that has led to this point . 
when the house judiciary committee unanimously reported the patriot act in october of 2001 , i pledged to rigorously examine its implementation to ensure that new law enforcement authorities did not transgress civil liberties . 
h.r. 3199 , which passed the house by a wide margin on july 21 , 2005 , reflected bipartisan congressional consideration consisting of legislative and oversight hearings , inspector general reports , briefings , and committee correspondence . 
this extensive record , a chronology of which i ask unanimous consent to submit for the record , has demonstrated that the patriot act is an effective tool against terrorists and other criminals . 
of no less importance , the record shows that there is absolutely no evidence that the act has been used to violate civil liberties . 
however , to curtail the potential of government overreach , the conference report contains important amendments and revisions . 
specifically , the conference report contains additional judicial and congressional oversight of the use of multipoint wiretapping authority contained in section 206 of the patriot act . 
the conference report also clarifies and refines the use of delayed notice search warrants in section 213 of the legislation . 
it ensures that information likely to be obtained through section 215 of the patriot act are subject to a judicial review process that authorizes the judge to set aside or affirm a 215 order that has been challenged . 
the conference report establishes additional requirements on the utilization of national security letters , including congressional disclosure of the frequency of their use , and enhances congressional oversight of electronic and other types of surveillance . 
many of these changes were requested by minority conferees , and the absence of any of their signatures on this vital conference report is disappointing . 
i also regret to note that in many ways , the bipartisanship that characterized passage of the patriot act in 2001 has yielded to the desire of some to engage in political hyperbole and partisan brinksmanship . 
some have attempted to create the impression that the patriot act poses a greater threat to the american people than that presented by terrorism . 
these claims are not only false , the record clearly demonstrates that they are groundless and irresponsible . 
madam speaker , the security of the american people is a fundamental responsibility of congress and an obligation that each of us swears an obligation to uphold . 
i urge my house colleagues to support passage of this critical antiterrorism initiative and encourage the other body to send the conference report to the president for his signature before vital antiterrorism provisions contained in the patriot act expire at year 's end . 
i wish to recognize the important contributions of the following staff who spent much of the last several months working on this historic legislation . 
from the house committee on the judiciary : philip kiko ; sean mclaughlin ; beth sokul ; mindy barry ; mike volkov ; and robert tracci . 
from the senate judiciary committee : mike o'neill , brett tolman ; nick rossi , joe matal , and cindy hayden . 
from the house intelligence committee , chris donessa -- from the senate intelligence committee , brandon milhorn . 
from the department of justice , william moschella , elisabeth cook , jim baker , matthew berry , and david blake . 
madam speaker , i provide for the record the following document , which is a detailed listing of oversight hearings held on the usa patriot act : oversight of the usa patriot act from october , 2001 , to november , 2005 ( 1 ) november 9 , 2005 , department of justice classified briefing for committee on the judiciary staff on press accounts of fbi use of nsls ; ( 2 ) october 25 , 2005 , department of justice classified briefing for house & amp ; senate committees on the judiciary and committees on intelligence staff on press accounts of fbi use of nsls ; ( 3 ) october 6 , 2005 , department of justice classified briefing for committee on the judiciary members and staff on press accounts of mistakes in fbi applications to the foreign intelligence surveillance court under the usa patriot act ; ( 4 ) july 12 , 2005 , letter from assistant attorney general william moschella to the house committee on the judiciary responding to july 1 , 2005 , letter regarding use of the usa patriot act ; ( 5 ) july 12 , 2005 , letter from assistant attorney general william moschella to the house committee on the judiciary responding to may 19 , 2005 , letter regarding use of the usa patriot act ; ( 6 ) july 11 , 2005 , letter from assistant attorney general william moschella to rep . 
bobby scott responding to questions regarding use of the usa patriot act ; ( 7 ) july 11 , 2005 , letter from assistant attorney general william moschella to the house committee on the judiciary regarding use of the usa patriot act ; ( 8 ) july 5 , 2005 , letter from fbi director meuller to senate committee on the judiciary responding to questions regarding use of the usa patriot act ; ( 9 ) july 1 , 2005 , letter from assistant attorney general william moschella to rep . 
bobby scott responding to questions regarding use of the usa patriot act ; ( 10 ) july 1 , 2005 , letter from house committee on the judiciary to the attorney general regarding use of the usa patriot act ; ( 11 ) june 29 , 2005 , letter from assistant attorney general william moschella to the senate committee on the judiciary responding to april 5 , 2005 , letter regarding use of the usa patriot act ; ( 12 ) june 10 , 2005 , house committee on the judiciary hearing on reauthorization of the usa patriot act ; ( 13 ) june 8 , 2005 , house committee on the judiciary hearing on reauthorization of the usa patriot act ; ( 14 ) may 26 , 2005 , house subcommittee on crime , terrorism , & amp ; homeland security hearing on material witness provisions of the criminal code & amp ; the implementation of the usa patriot act ; section 505 that addresses national security letters ; & amp ; section 804 that addresses jurisdiction over crimes committed at u.s. facilities abroad ; ( 15 ) may 19 , 2005 , letter from house committee on the judiciary to the attorney general regarding use of the usa patriot act ; ( 16 ) may 10 , 2005 , house subcommittee on crime , terrorism , & amp ; homeland security hearing on the prohibition of material support to terrorists & amp ; foreign terrorist organizations & amp ; on the doj inspector general 's reports on civil liberty violations under the usa patriot act ; ( 17 ) may 10 , 2005 , senate committee on the judiciary hearing on continued oversight of the usa patriot act ; ( 18 ) may 5 , 2005 , house subcommittee on crime , terrorism , & amp ; homeland security hearing on section 212 of the usa patriot act that allows emergency disclosure of electronic communications to protect life and limb ; ( 19 ) may 3 , 2005 , house subcommittee on crime , terrorism , & amp ; homeland security hearing on sections 201 , 202 , 213 , & amp ; 223 of the usa patriot act & amp ; their effect on law enforcement surveillance ; ( 20 ) april 28 , 2005 , house subcommittee on crime , terrorism , & amp ; homeland security hearing : section 218 of the usa patriot act -- if it expires will the `` wall '' return ? 
; ( 21 ) april 28 , 2005 , house subcommittee on crime , terrorism , & amp ; homeland security hearing : have sections 206 and 215 improved foreign intelligence surveillance act ( fisa ) investigations ? 
; ( 22 ) april 26 , 2005 , letter from assistant attorney general william moschella to senator dianne feinstein responding to april 14 , 2005 , letter regarding use of the usa patriot act ; ( 23 ) april 26 , 2005 , house subcommittee on crime , terrorism , & amp ; homeland security hearing : have sections 204 , 207 , 214 , & amp ; 225 of the usa patriot act , & amp ; sections 6001 & amp ; 6002 of the intelligence reform & amp ; terrorism prevention act of 2004 , improved fisa investigations ? 
; ( 24 ) april 21 , 2005 , house subcommittee on crime , terrorism , & amp ; homeland security hearing on crime , terrorism , & amp ; the age of technology -- ( section 209 : seizure of voice-mail messages pursuant to warrants ; section 217 : interception of computer trespasser communications ; & amp ; section 220 : nationwide service of search warrants for electronic evidence ) ; ( 25 ) april 20 , 2005 , senate subcommittee on terrorism , technology , & amp ; homeland security hearing : a review of the material support to terrorism prohibition ; ( 26 ) april 19 , 2005 , house subcommittee on crime , terrorism , & amp ; homeland security hearing on sections 203 ( b ) and ( d ) of the usa patriot act and their effect on information sharing ; ( 27 ) april 6 , 2005 , house committee on the judiciary hearing with attorney general gonzales ; ( 28 ) april 5 , 2005 , senate committee on the judiciary hearing on oversight of the usa patriot act ; ( 29 ) march 22 , 2005 , department of justice law enforcement sensitive briefing for committee on the judiciary members and staff on the use of fisa under the usa patriot act ; ( 30 ) september 22 , 2004 , senate committee on the judiciary hearing : a review of counter-terrorism legislation & amp ; proposals , including the usa patriot act & amp ; the safe act may 5 , 2004 , senate committee on the judiciary hearing : aiding terrorists -- a review of the material support statute ; ( 31 ) may 20 , 2004 , senate committee on the judiciary hearing on fbi oversight : terrorism ; ( 32 ) april 14 , 2004 , senate committee on the judiciary hearing on preventing & amp ; responding to acts of terrorism : a review of current law ; ( 33 ) february 3 , 2004 , department of justice briefing for house committee on the judiciary staff on its views of s. 1709 , the `` security and freedom ensured ( safe ) act of 2003 , '' and h.r. 3352 , the house companion bill , as both bills proposed changes to the usa patriot act ; ( 34 ) november 20 , 2003 , request by chairmen sensenbrenner & amp ; hostettler to gao requesting a study of the implementation of the usa patriot act anti-money laundering provisions . 
report was released on june 6 , 2005 ; ( 35 ) october 29 , 2003 , department of justice classified briefing for committee on the judiciary members & amp ; staff on the use of fisa under the usa patriot act ; ( 36 ) september 10 , 2003 , senate subcommittee on terrorism , technology , & amp ; homeland security hearing on terrorism : two years after 9/11 , connecting the dots ; ( 37 ) august 7 , 2003 , department of justice briefing for house committee on the judiciary members and staff regarding the long-standing authority for law enforcement to conduct delayed searches & amp ; collect business records & amp ; the effect of the usa patriot act on those authorities ; ( 38 ) july 23 , 2003 , senate committee on the judiciary hearing on law enforcement & amp ; terrorism ; ( 39 ) june 13 , 2003 , letter from assistant secretary for legislative affairs at the department of homeland security , pamela j. turner , to the house committee on the judiciary responding to questions regarding the usa patriot act ; ( 40 ) june 10 , 2003 , department of justice classified briefing for committee on the judiciary members & amp ; staff on the use of fisa under the usa patriot act ; ( 41 ) june 5 , 2003 , house committee on the judiciary hearing on the u.s. department of justice , including its use of the provisions authorized by the usa patriot act ; ( 42 ) may 20 , 2003 , house subcommittee on the constitution hearing : anti-terrorism investigations and the fourth amendment after september 11th : where and when can government go to prevent terrorist attacks ; ( 43 ) may 13 , 2003 , letter from acting assistant attorney general , jamie brown to the house committee on the judiciary responding to questions regarding the usa patriot act ; ( 44 ) april 1 , 2003 , letter from the house committee on the judiciary to the attorney general regarding use of the usa patriot act ; ( 45 ) october 9 , 2002 , senate subcommittee on terrorism , technology , & amp ; homeland security hearing : tools against terror : how the administration is implementing new laws in the fight to protect our homeland ; ( 46 ) september 20 , 2002 , letter from assistant attorney general , daniel bryant , to the house committee on the judiciary responding to questions regarding the usa patriot act ; ( 47 ) september 10 , 2002 , senate committee on the judiciary hearing on the usa patriot act in practice : shedding light on the fisa process ; ( 48 ) august 26 , 2002 , letter from assistant attorney general , daniel bryant , to the house committee on the judiciary responding to questions regarding the usa patriot act ; ( 49 ) july 26 , 2002 , letter from assistant attorney general , daniel bryant to the house committee on the judiciary responding to questions regarding the usa patriot act ; ( 50 ) july 25 , 2002 , senate committee on the judiciary hearing on the department of justice , including its implementation of the authorities granted by the usa patriot act ; ( 51 ) june 13 , 2002 , letter from the house committee on the judiciary to the attorney general regarding use of the usa patriot act ; ( 52 ) april 17 , 2002 , senate subcommittee on administrative oversight and the courts hearing : `` should the office of homeland security have more power ? 
a case study in information sharing ; '' ( 53 ) december 6 , 2001 , senate committee on the judiciary hearing on doj oversight : preserving our freedoms while defending against terrorism ; ( 54 ) december 4 , 2001 , senate committee on the judiciary hearing on doj oversight : preserving our freedoms while defending against terrorism ; ( 55 ) november 28 , 2001 , senate committee on the judiciary hearing on doj oversight : preserving our freedoms while defending against terrorism ; and ( 56 ) october 3 , 2001 , senate subcommittee on the constitution , civil rights , & amp ; property rights hearing : protecting constitutional freedoms in the face of terrorism . 
madam speaker , i reserve the balance of my time . 
