James M. Jeffords: “the people of Vermont are proud of the important role that Senator Patrick Leahy is serving in trying to improve the USA…”

“the people of Vermont are proud of the important role that Senator Patrick Leahy is serving in trying to improve the USA PATRIOT Act. My colleague from Vermont rightly believes that security and civil liberties need not be mutually exclusive objectives. We can and we should advance both goals. As the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Leahy worked closely with Chairman Arlen Specter in helping to produce a bipartisan bill to renew and improve the USA PATRIOT Act. That bill was unanimously approved both by the Judiciary Committee and by the Senate. Now he is working with Senators of both parties in trying to win further improvements in the proposed conference report on that bill. Just as he did in 2001, then as chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the leader of the Senate's negotiations with the administration in crafting the initial USA PATRIOT Act, Senator Leahy now, once again, has worked tirelessly to ensure that we do not hastily pass flawed legislation. Back in the fall of 2001, the Bush administration had demanded that Congress pass the PATRIOT Act in 1 week. The Senator from Vermont knew that rushing such an expansive law through Congress was a mistake, and he secured more time, allowing Congress to add crucial checks and balances to the law. In the best tradition of the Senate, Senator Patrick Leahy has championed effective law enforcement and the rights and freedoms that we cherish as Americans.…”