Sanders Will Look to Block 215 Once More on Tuesday

At press time, BTW learned that, on Tuesday, June 14, Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is planning to add an amendment to the House Commerce, Justice, State (CJS) Appropriations Bill, which funds the Justice Department, that would cut off funds for bookstore and library searches under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act. Sanders introduced a similar amendment to CJS last July, but the amendment failed on a tie vote after Republican leaders kept the vote open for 20 minutes more than the normal 15-minute time limit and persuaded about 10 representatives who initially supported the provision to change their votes.

Watch for an ABA Flash tomorrow with breaking news on this story and an action plan and talking points from the Campaign for Reader Privacy.

The news of Sanders' planned amendment to CJS comes on the heels of a June 7 closed-door session of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which approved by a vote of 11 - 4 legislation that would not only reauthorize, but also expand, the USA Patriot Act, including Section 215. Under the expanded bill, law enforcement officers would be granted "administrative subpoenas," which would allow the FBI to write its own search and disclosure orders with no judicial approval.

According to the Associated Press, some Senators who voted for the bill stressed that they would "push for limits on the new powers the measure would grant to law enforcement agencies." Ranking Democrat Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) said he supported the legislation but told AP he wanted to allow administrative subpoenas "only if immediacy dictates." The Senate Committee on the Judiciary must review the bill, AP reported.

For more information about the Campaign for Reader Privacy, go to www.bookweb.org/read/7679.