Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar) for raising this important issue. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act was written long before the Internet was in common use. It is out of date. It needs to be modernized. It needs to have some of the requirements that not only the gentleman has noted, but also some of the courts of appeals have noted. However, the particular way this amendment works on the particular section of the Stored Communications Act, which is a part of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, has implications beyond what I think the gentleman intends would have a significant impact on not only Federal, but also State and local law enforcement ability to carry out their job. If the gentleman would agree to work with me, as have the two individuals that you referred to have introduced bills and many others in this Congress who know that this needs to be modified--I have had conversations with Senator Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the Senate, and we have agreed that this is a priority for both of us to significantly reform this law and address some of the very concerns that the gentleman raises. If he would agree to withdraw the amendment, I would look forward to working with him and others to accomplish that goal in what I think would be a better setting. We have already held two hearings on this issue, and we will be continuing to work on this in an expeditious manner in the Judiciary Committee.”