Senate, House OK One-Year Extension Of Expiring PATRIOT Act Provisions

The Senate Feb. 24 and the House Feb. 25 approved a one-year extension of provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act that were set to expire on Feb. 28, including a controversial section dealing with the government’s access to U.S. firms’ customer records.

The measure (H.R. 3961), passed by voice vote in the Senate and by a 315-97 vote in the House, is expected to give Congress more time to craft a long-term reauthorization bill that balances national security and privacy interests.

At issue are three expiring provisions of the antiterrorism law, including Section 215, which allows the FBI to seek ...