On the recordFebruary 17, 2011
I rise in support of this amendment. I think that the prohibition is an appropriate one. It's a specific carve-out for library records related to American citizens. These records still would be available under a warrant properly petitioned for and received through the secret court that handles these matters. But this would take away this administrative procedure which has been rarely used. And I agree with the gentleman from Virginia, there's no reason to believe that it would be abused in any way. The real point here is that we as Americans find that our right to privacy, and particularly as relates to the library and our reading habits--that we do not have a circumstance that we have a fishing expedition by law enforcement. So I support the prohibition amendment. And it did pass before by bipartisan vote; it's offered on a bipartisan basis, and I hope that the House favorably considers it.
