[20060203]RS21441_图书馆与美国爱国者法案.pdf

Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS21441Updated February 3, 2006Libraries and the USA PATRIOT Actname redactedSenior SpecialistAmerican Law Division name redactedLegislative AttorneyAmerican Law DivisionSummaryThe USA PATRIOT Act, P.L. 107-56, enacted to help track down and punishterrorists and to prevent further terrorism, contains no provisions specifically directedat libraries or their patrons. It has several provisions, however, that might apply in alibrary context. The most frequently mentioned of these is Section 215, which amendsthe business record sections of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). OnDecember 22, 2005, the House and Senate enacted a bill (S. 2167) that extended thesunset of certain provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act (including section 215),originally set to expire on December 31, 2005, until February 3, 2006. On February 2,2006, Congress passed H.R. 4659, which further extended the sunset to March 10, 2006.The pending conference version of H.R. 3199 amends section 215 and postpones itsexpiration until December 31, 2009.Before the USA PATRIOT Act, federal authorities