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Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 11:17:27 -0400
From: "ALAWASH E-MAIL" <[log in to unmask]>
To: ALA Washington Office Newsline <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [ALA-WO:14] URGENT Action Alert: Protect Freedom to Read
Sender: [log in to unmask]
ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 13, Number 42
July 1, 2004
In This Issue: Urgent Action Alert: Protect Freedom to Read
On Wednesday, July 7, or Thursday, July 8, Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
will introduce an amendment to the House Commerce, Justice, State (CJS)
appropriations bill, which funds the Justice Department, barring the
Department from using any of the appropriated money to search bookstore
and library records under Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act. As you recall,
Rep. Sanders introduced the Freedom to Read Protection Act (H.R. 1157)
last year. It exempts bookstore and library records from searches under
Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act. Although the bill has 145
co-sponsors in both parties, the chairman of the House Judiciary
Committee has refused to hold a hearing on it.
We urge you to call your Representative and ask her or him to support
the Sanders-Paul-Conyers-Nadler Freedom to Read Amendment to the
Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary Appropriations (CJS) bill when
it comes to the floor. To contact your Representative about the Sanders-Paul-Conyers-Nadler Freedom to Read Amendment to the Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary Appropriations (CJS) bill, please go to
http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/washingtonoffice.htm and enter your
zip code to go to the Legislative Action Center.
The text of the amendment reads: "None of the funds available may be
used to make an application under section 501 of FISA to require the
production of library circulation records, library patron lists, library
Internet records, bookseller sales records, or bookseller customer
lists." Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act amends Section 501 of the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is why this language
refers to "section 501 of FISA."
******
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ALA Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 403,
Washington, D.C. 20004-1701; phone: 202.628.8410 or 800.941.8478
toll-free; fax: 202.628.8419; e-mail: [log in to unmask]; Web site:
http://www.ala.org/washoff. Executive Director: Emily Sheketoff.
Office of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley, Director; Carol Ashworth,
Camille Bowman, Don Essex, Joshua Farrelman, Patrice McDermott and
Miriam Nisbet. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick
Weingarten, Director; Carrie Lowe, Kathy Mitchell, Carrie Russell.
ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.
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American Library Association
Washington Office
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