APFN
Lawmakers break logjam on new anti-terrorism laws
Thu Oct 18 00:24:42 2001


Lawmakers break logjam on new anti-terrorism laws, surveillance measures to expire in 2005

JESSE J. HOLLAND, Associated Press Writer
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2001/10/17/national1959EDT0880.DTL 
Wednesday, October 17, 2001

(10-17) 17:52 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --

New authority wanted by President Bush to wiretap
and eavesdrop on suspected terrorists, including
secret police searches of their homes and records,
would expire in four years under a compromise
negotiated Wednesday, according to congressional
sources.

The White House had sought unfettered and
permanent authority for so-called roving wiretaps to
monitor telephone and computer communications of
terrorism suspects no matter where they take place,
but encountered stiff opposition from civil rights and
privacy advocates in both parties.

House and Senate negotiators agreed Wednesday
afternoon to the compromise sunset date of Dec.
31, 2005, for the expanded authority to expire, said
four top congressional aides, all speaking on
condition of anonymity.

"It's a done deal," said one GOP House aide. Three
Senate aides, one Republican and two Democrats,
confirmed the deal.

Before departing on a trip to Asia, President Bush
met Wednesday morning with leaders in both
parties and urged them to come to a speedy
agreement on anti-terrorism legislation containing
the new law enforcement measures. The bill had
been stalled for more than a month, primarily over
the new electronic surveillance authority.

The GOP-controlled House originally wanted a
three-year expiration date, and then changed it to
five years after discussion with the White House.
The Democrat-controlled Senate did not include
any expiration date in its legislation but many
Democrats said they supported the idea.

Lawmakers have been trying to reconcile the
differences between the House and Senate versions
of the anti-terrorism legislation since Monday,
despite the anthrax scares in the Capitol complex.

"Good progress was made on that this afternoon,"
Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said
Wednesday evening.

It was not immediately known when the bill would
make it to the House and Senate floors. Because of
the anthrax scare, the House will not be in session
again until next Tuesday at the earliest.

There is also a disagreement on whether money
laundering legislation should be included in the
anti-terrorism package. The Senate version has
such legislation in it. The House passed that
legislation separately on Wednesday.

The aides said that portion of the bill was still being
negotiated, but no resolution had been reached.

The anti-terrorism expiration date means that
Congress will have to renew the wiretapping and
electronic surveillance portion of the anti-terrorism
package or they will expire.

Both the House and Senate anti-terrorism measures
would expand the FBI's wiretapping authority,
impose stronger penalties on those who harbor or
finance terrorists and increase punishment of
terrorists.

However, House leaders insisted on changing the
Senate package to put an expiration deadline on the
most intrusive of the new measures, including roving
wiretaps.

"As long as they are temporary, we will get better
cooperation from the agencies until such time as we
look at the question: 'Do we give them complete
authority?"' said House Majority Leader Richard
Armey, R-Texas.

The House anti-terrorism bill is H.R. 3108. The
Senate bill is S. 1510.

On the Net:

Bill texts: thomas.loc.gov