House Delays Patriot Act Spy Vote (now extended)

[Snazzy]

Source: Wired

House Delays Patriot Act Spy Vote

# By David Kravets
# December 16, 2009 |
# 6:38 pm |
# Categories: Surveillance, politics

The House of Representatives tabled on Wednesday legislation to reform U.S. surveillance law. The two-month delay puts off a collision with a competing Senate version.

The move automatically extends provisions of the Patriot Act that would otherwise expire at year’s end. The Senate is likewise expected to delay the matter.

...

A key difference between the House and Senate packages concerns the standard by which the FBI may issue so-called National Security Letters — although Wednesday’s vote prolongs the time for more backroom negotiations. Reforming NSL powers is a key bone of contention in the Patriot Act debate, even though it is not one of the three Patriot Act provisions that was scheduled to expire Dec. 31

...

Under Wednesday’s action, the NSL-reform vote is also delayed until the New Year. And the three expiring provisions will remain in force at least through February. The extension came as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) balked at a Senate plan to include Patriot Act amendments into a $636 billion Pentagon funding measure, saying doing so would create “revolt on the left.”

....



Read more: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/12/spy-vote-delayed/

[salib]

1. Can we really believe in the leadership anymore?

[OnyxCollie]

2. This should turn out well.

[ixion]

3. my my... look at them dance...

nary a peep from them as they carry out their True Masters bidding.

[mbperrin]

4. This is why the "we can pass a bad bill now and fix it later" folks

are dead wrong.

Yes, they do dance when their true masters bid!

[lonestarnot]

5. fix it now and ram it through reconcillation!