Russ Feingold: “one of the major items that we will be taking up prior to the end of the year is the issue of the renewal of the…”

“one of the major items that we will be taking up prior to the end of the year is the issue of the renewal of the so-called USA PATRIOT Act. There was quite an effort in the last couple of years in the Senate to try to fix the problems with the PATRIOT Act that led me to vote against it originally. That was a very difficult time, obviously, after 9/11/2001. The PATRIOT Act got through on a very accelerated basis, and a number of us identified serious problems that other people didn't have a chance to analyze at the time. But the situation now has changed. We have had years to look at this. Thankfully, the Senate worked together to do its job on this bill. In the Judiciary Committee and in the Senate as a whole, we passed changes to the USA PATRIOT Act, along with renewing the provisions scheduled to sunset at the end of this year. It was a unanimous vote. People from very different philosophies came together and said: Let's get this right. Let's make sure law enforcement has the power and the ability to go after the terrorist network. But, at the same time, let's do what we have to do to protect the civil liberties and rights of absolutely law-abiding Americans. Sadly, the conference committee did just the reverse. The conference committee ignored the will of the Senate.…”