madam speaker , today i rise in opposition to the conference report on h.r. 3199 , the usa patriot act reauthorization .  while i do not advocate permitting many of these important terrorism-fighting tools to expire at the end of the year , the american people would be better served by a bill that strikes a more reasonable balance between protecting civil liberties and fighting the war on terrorism .  i am disappointed that the conference report does not closely mirror the bipartisan compromise that unanimously passed the senate .  i urge my colleagues to reject this conference report and take a bipartisan approach to protecting americans ' lives and liberties .  since the usa patriot act was enacted shortly after 9/11 , i have met with many constituents and countless groups to discuss the details of this controversial legislation .  last year , i hosted a town hall meeting to hear what my constituents thought about the usa patriot act .  while some agreed that the act was necessary to prevent another terrorist attack , most of the crowd , as well as most rhode islanders , believed we have already ceded too much ground with respect to our civil liberties .  in my state , seven cities and towns have passed resolutions opposing parts of the usa patriot act , and my constituents understand what this bill means to them and their freedom .  last week , the 9/11 commission released a report card on the implementation of the group 's recommendations .  for `` balance between security and civil liberties , '' the government received a `` b , '' which is a high grade considering they were given more `` fs '' than `` as. '' however , the report card cautioned that `` robust and continuing oversight , both within the executive and by the congress , will be essential. '' we should strive to move closer to a than f , but this conference report does not accomplish that goal .  by making 14 of the 16 expiring provisions of the usa patriot act permanent , i worry that congress will be less likely to engage in vigorous oversight to protect the civil liberties of law abiding americans .  the senate proved that it is possible to protect both lives and liberties .  their legislation made permanent the less controversial portions of the act , but implemented commonsense changes to add a layer of protection for liberties while keeping america safe .  unfortunately , most of these improvements were not incorporated into the conference report .  for instance , the senate version required the government to show that a person is connected to terrorism or espionage before investigators could obtain medical , library or business records .  the bill before us permits the government to go on fishing expeditions to look for information without probable cause .  in addition , the senate required new , strong protections for `` sneak and peak '' searches and roving wiretaps .  these improvements are also absent , from the conference agreement .  i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the motion to recommit , which asks conferees to adopt the bipartisan senate language .  i recognize the need for our laws to keep pace with new technology and a changing world , and i am committed to ensuring our law enforcement has the tools they need to keep our nation safe .  however , providing these tools need not come at the expense of the liberties and freedoms that we hold so dear .  if we cede these , we have already given up the very values the terrorists are trying to destroy .  i am disappointed that conferees have decided to once again place partisanship over sound policy .  working together , we make america stronger , but congress has again divided the american people .  i urge my colleagues to join me in opposing h.r. 3199 and instead working to reauthorize the usa patriot act in a way that protects both our liberties and our country .  