Republicans defeat Patriot Act Ammendment

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I recieved this e-mail from my Congressman Jay Inslee. Basically under the Patrioat Act any low level bureaucrat can get access to your personal financial records as long as they claim it's part of a terrorism investigation.

Dear Mr XXXXX:

Knowing of your concern regarding the Patriot Act's rollback of civil liberties, I wanted to update you on an amendment I offered yesterday in the House Financial Services Committee to eliminate one of the Patriot Act's more questionable provisions.

As you may know, the Patriot Act added a new provision to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) allowing all federal agencies conducting terrorism investigations to allow low-ranking officials to freely access our credit reports. Previously, such authority was only given to high ranking officials.

The Patriot Act's rule change effectively reversed long-held FCRA requirements, eliminating the checks and balances necessary to safeguard the personal financial records of individuals. Under Section 625 of the FCRA, for instance, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was required to follow several guidelines in order access credit reports. The FBI was required to: 1) obtain certified authorization from high ranking officials; 2) pay adequate fees to Credit Reporting Bureaus; and 3) report to Congress on the agency's use of the reports. Under the Patriot Act, these safeguards for protecting consumers' personal information from improper use are effectively removed for the FBI, while similar authorities were extended to other federal agencies conducting terrorism investigations.

Yesterday, I proposed an amendment that would have reversed this provision in the Patriot Act and restored a system of checks and balances for all federal agencies wishing to obtain our credit reports. My amendment sought to: 1) reinstate the requirement that approval from high-ranking supervisory officials be required before credit reports may be acquired; 2) extend Congressional oversight to all agencies requesting credit reports, and 3) require agencies obtaining credit reports to pay reasonable costs to the Credit Bureaus for putting together and supplying credit reports. I believe that while law enforcement officials should have access to the information they need to keep us safe, they should adhere to high standards to protect our freedoms as well.

Unfortunately, my amendment was defeated in the House Financial Services Committee on a straight party line vote, with 35 Republicans voting against it and 33 Democrats voting for it. It is regrettable that some in Congress are unwilling to make commonsense changes to the Patriot Act, and instead are more interested in complying with the Bush administration's insistent demand to preserve every line of the Act, even those that we can change to maintain our civil liberties without hindering our safety.

Whether the issue is the secret detainment of hundreds of individuals, the suspension of attorney-client privilege, or expanded domestic surveillance authority, I strongly believe that we must adhere to the rule of law in this fight. Please rest assured that, despite the wishes of the current administration and the Majority party in Congress, I will continue fighting to protect our civil liberties.

Very truly yours,

JAY INSLEE
Member of Congress