July 22, 2005

House Reauthorizes USA PATRIOT Act;
Pryce Votes to Protect the Homeland

WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Deborah Pryce today (R-Upper Arlington) issued the following statement after Thursday’s House passage of H.R. 3199, the USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2005:

“The USA PATRIOT Act has been critical in protecting the United States from terror, and its reauthorization will ensure that our law enforcement and security professionals have the tools they need to effectively defend our homeland,” said Pryce.

“The terror attacks in London over the past two weeks are a reminder that we must remain ever-vigilant if we are to keep the terrorists at bay. The information-gathering provisions contained in the PATRIOT Act will help do just that—without endangering our constitutional rights. The PATRIOT Act is a balanced, no-nonsense approach to fighting terror, and I am proud to have supported its passage and reauthorization.”

The USA PATRIOT Act, as reauthorized by H.R. 3199, contains provisions aimed at providing security and law enforcement personnel with the processes and tools they need to successfully fight terror. Under the USA PATRIOT Act:

• Major legal barriers that prevented the law enforcement, intelligence, and national defense communities from coordinating their work are removed;
• Law enforcement are now allowed to conduct surveillance against more crimes of terror such as the use of chemical weapons and other weapons of mass destruction;
• Investigations can now be conducted without tipping off terrorists;
• A court may now authorize a nation-wide search warrant; and
• Penalties for terrorist crimes are increased, as are the penalties for those found to have aided terrorists in their work.