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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!
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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
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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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