FYI
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>Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 16:01:46 -0400
>From: "ALAWASH E-MAIL" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: ALA Washington Office Newsline <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: [ALA-WO:137] Support Freedom to Read Amendment!
>Sender: [log in to unmask]
>
>ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
>Volume 14, Number 57
>Date June 10, 2005
>
>In This Issue:
>
>Immediate Action Needed: Call your Representatives Today to Support the
>Freedom to Read Amendment
>
>On June 14, 2005 Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will introduce an amendment to
>the House Science-State-Justice Subcommittee (SSJC) (colloquially known as
>CJS) appropriations bill, which funds the Justice Department, barring the
>Department from using any of the appropriated money to search library and
>bookstore records under Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act. As you may recall,
>Rep. Sanders introduced the Freedom to Read Protection Act (H.R. 1157)
>last year (for background please see ALAWON, July 2003 No.
>66 <http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/washnews/news.htm>. It exempts
>bookstore and library records from searches under Section 215 of the USA
>PATRIOT Act.
>
>To prevent a replay of last year, we urge you to call your Representative
>and ask her or him to support the Sanders Freedom to Read Amendment to the
>Appropriations Science-State-Justice Subcommittee (SSJC) bill when it
>comes to the floor on Tuesday or Wednesday. For contact information,
>please go to the Legislative Action Center and enter your zipcode.
>The language of the amendment will be similar to last year's which read:
>
>"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."
>
>Your Message:
>* Like the Freedom to Read Protection Act (H.R. 1157) sponsored by
>Congressman Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the Sanders Freedom to Read Amendment
>would restore legal standards and warrant procedures for investigations of
>libraries and bookstores which were in place before passage of the USA
>PATRIOT Act. H.R. 1157 has the bipartisan support of 129 co-sponsors.
>
>* Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act severely expands the scope of
>materials the FBI can access with a warrant from the government's secret
>Foreign Intelligence Surveillance ACT or "FISA" court. This section gives
>the FBI the power to search for any "tangible things (including books,
>records, papers, documents, and other items)" in any location without
>having to show "probable cause."
>
>* Many people across the country, including librarians and booksellers,
>are concerned about the "chilling effect" of this legislation, which
>encourages users to self-censor their reading choices. Three state
>legislatures, 44 state library associations, and 137 cities and towns
>representing nearly 17 million people have passed resolutions expressing
>their concerns with Section 215 and other specific provisions of the USA
>PATRIOT Act.
>
>* Passage of this amendment would continue to allow the FBI to use all
>constitutionally sanctioned means to obtain warrants and criminal
>subpoenas to access library and bookstore records pertinent to
>investigations related to terrorism or criminal acts.
>
>Please call your Representatives today (and no later than Tuesday morning,
>June 14th). The vote is expected to take place Tuesday or Wednesday. Phone
>calls are preferred as emails and faxes may not be effective at this stage.
>
>Additionally, if your Representative is listed below please make a special
>effort to call them by Tuesday morning (These Representatives listed below
>voted for the Amendment last year. It is critical to hold their vote
>again this year):
>
>Roscoe Bartlett
>Mike Castle
>John Duncan
>Vernon Ehlers
>Jeff Flake
>Tim Johnson
>Mark Kirk
>Jim Leach
>Jerry Moran
>Bob Ney
>Butch Otter
>Ron Paul
>Thomas Petri
>Jon Porter
>Rick Renzi
>Mike Simpson
>Curt Weldon
>Don Young
>
>
>******
>ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is a free, irregular publication of the American
>Library Association Washington Office. All materials subject to copyright
>by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for
>noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits.
>
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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; Web site:
>http://www.ala.org/washoff. Executive Director: Emily Sheketoff. Office
>of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley, Director; Don Essex, Joshua
>Farrelman, Erin Haggerty, Patrice McDermott and Miriam Nisbet. Office for
>Information Technology Policy: Rick Weingarten, Director; Carrie Lowe,
>Kathy Mitchell, Carrie Russell. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
D. Vanessa Kam
Exhibits and Publications Manager
Department of Special Collections
Stanford University
Green Library, Room 351H
Stanford, CA 94305-6004
ph. (650) 723-9523
fax (650) 723-8690
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