Dennis Moore: “I rise today to express my cautious support for this House amendment to the Senate-approved version of H.R. 3773, the…”

“I rise today to express my cautious support for this House amendment to the Senate-approved version of H.R. 3773, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. I extend my gratitude for the hard work that Chairmen Conyers and Reyes have put into this legislation, as well as Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer for their efforts to negotiate with the Senate to work out the differences between the different approaches to update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act [FISA] of 1978. We will never forget the awful terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on our country. And we must keep in mind there are still those who wish to do us harm as we authorize essential surveillance authorities balanced by the civil liberty protections ensured by our Constitution. It is disappointing that the Bush Administration and our Republican colleagues have refused to participate in negotiations to date, but I am hopeful that with this new bill approved by the House, we can quickly work out our honest differences to provide our intelligence and law enforcement agencies with the tools required to monitor potential agents with terrorist intentions against the United States. This bill is a step in the right direction, but I have serious reservations with certain provisions that I urge Congress to promptly resolve in the coming weeks.”