William F. Smith: “I support this PATRIOT Act conference report, and appreciate the time and effort Chairman Sensenbrenner has put into…”

“I support this PATRIOT Act conference report, and appreciate the time and effort Chairman Sensenbrenner has put into bringing it to the floor. We know Americans will continue to be a terrorist target as long as we stand for freedom and democracy. That lesson was learned on September 11, 2001. We must do everything legally possible to protect Americans from attack. This conference report helps law enforcement officials prevent, investigate, and prosecute acts of terror. The original PATRIOT Act was a long overdue measure that enhanced our ability to gather crucial intelligence information on the global terrorist network. It passed by a margin of 98-1 in the Senate and 357- 66 in the House. But certain provisions of the PATRIOT Act expire at the end of this year. This conference report renews many of those provisions and improves on the original legislation. It makes permanent the ability of law enforcement officials and intelligence officials to communicate about on-going investigations. It also makes permanent provisions that allow the government to do its job by obtaining warrants and gathering information during terrorism investigations. America is a safer country today than before September 11, 2001, because of the PATRIOT Act. Over 200 people in the United States have been charged with crimes tied to international terrorist investigations and have been convicted or have pled guilty because of the PATRIOT Act.…”