Free Expression

On Tuesday, March 7, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 280 - 138 to reauthorize the USA Patriot Act, including a four-year extension of Section 215, which authorizes searches of bookstore and library records. On Thursday, March 9, President Bush signed the bill into law.

With the House and Senate both voting for the USA Patriot Act reauthorization bill, and President Bush's signature on the legislation a fait accompli, this week, ABA COO Oren Teicher wrote a letter to update booksellers regarding the revised Patriot Act and to thank them for their efforts.

Since 2002, ABA Board member Linda Ramsdell of Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick, Vermont, has been instrumental in rallying booksellers and librarians in the effort to amend Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act.

After months of intense debate, on Thursday, March 2, the Senate voted 89 - 10 to reauthorize the expiring provisions of the USA Patriot Act, including a four-year extension of Section 215, which authorizes searches of bookstore and library records. It is expected that the House will vote on -- and pass -- the legislation on Tuesday, March 7, according to media reports. President Bush must sign the bill before March 10.

On Wednesday, March 1, the Senate voted to clear the way for reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act, including a four-year extension of Section 215, which authorizes searches of bookstore and library records. As of press time, the Senate was expected to vote on reauthorization on Thursday, March 2, and the House is expected to vote on -- and pass -- the legislation on Tuesday, March 7, as reported by the Associated Press.

With the return of the American Booksellers Association's convention and the book industry trade show to Washington, D.C., for the first time in 17 years, ABA is making the most of the event by offering its first-ever Legislative Day.

On Thursday, February 16, the U.S. Congress took a major step toward the final passage of a revised USA Patriot Act. By a vote of 96 - 3 the Senate agreed to limit debate on the measure, which now is almost certain to be approved by the House and Senate and signed into law. However, before a final vote, Sen.

On Thursday, February 9, a bipartisan group of Senators, led by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that an agreement on modifications to the USA Patriot Act's expiring provisions had been reached. The group included five Senators who had previously opposed reauthorization of the legislation to allow time for Congress to fashion a compromise that would protect reader privacy.

On Wednesday, February 1, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to extend the USA Patriot Act for five weeks, giving lawmakers until Friday, March 10, to hash out differences over a number of expiring provisions of the Act. This is the second five-week extension of the Patriot Act, resulting from the efforts of a bipartisan group of U.S. senators who are seeking to craft a bill that includes stronger provisions to ensure the privacy of America's readers.

This week, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and the Media Coalition are moving from their longtime home on Fulton Street in Manhattan to Chelsea, where the organizations will be sharing new offices with the National Coalition Against Censorship.

The new address is 275 Seventh Ave., 15th fl., New York, NY 10001. The organizations' telephone numbers will remain the same, (212) 587-4025.

With the deadline for the House and Senate votes on the Patriot Act reauthorization looming and House and Senate negotiations over the report at a standstill as reported by the Washington Post, the push to ensure that the reauthorized USA Patriot Act protects readers' right to privacy has begun.