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Non-Tech : Binary Hodgepodge -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ~digs who wrote (269)	10/2/2001 8:35:48 PM
From: ~digs	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6763

House negotiators reach compromise on terrorism bill By Richard Benedetto ; USA TODAY WASHINGTON -- House negotiators reached a tentative deal Monday to enhance the government's ability to combat terrorism while protecting civil liberties. The agreement among House Republicans and Democrats would increase penalties for terrorists and those who knowingly harbor them. It also would let investigators wiretap more phones and track Internet communications. But more controversial provisions sought by President Bush were not included in the package, slated for House action later this week. Among them: detaining immigrants suspected of terrorist activities indefinitely, deporting them based on secret evidence and executing search warrants without notification. ''The bill provides enhanced authority for electronic surveillance, but it still maintains the principles of constitutional rights,'' said Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. The Bush administration was non-committal on the deal, negotiated between House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and ranking Democrat John Conyers of Michigan. ''We are encouraged to see the process working,'' Justice Department spokeswoman Lori Rabjohns said. ''We are in the process of reviewing the proposal.'' The negotiations to strengthen U.S. laws against terrorism have been among the most difficult since the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington. While President Bush and Congress swiftly agreed on a $40 billion package of emergency aid and a $15 billion airline bailout, talk of expanded police powers has fueled a renewed debate over the trade-offs between national security and civil liberties. ''We have to make sure what we do is not a knee-jerk reaction,'' said Rep. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., chairman of a newly created House subcommittee on terrorism and homeland security. ''We have a document called the U.S. Constitution that has served us very well.'' Attorney General John Ashcroft, who has lobbied fiercely for a more far-reaching expansion of law enforcement powers, made his top two priorities expanding the FBI's wiretapping authority and imposing tougher penalties on terrorists and those who harbor or finance them. Those elements are included in the House package. A House vote this week still must be followed by action in the Senate, probably next week. ''We are working to be in position, without the passage of much time, to pass significant legislation containing those consensus items,'' said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. But differences between House and Senate versions still would have to be reconciled. For that reason, Bush's goal to have a bill on his desk by Friday appears out of reach. The package still could face objections. Privacy advocates worry that the government is trying to lower significantly the legal hurdles for wiretaps, bugs and secret searches of homes and offices. And regardless of what Congress ends up passing, court challenges are likely. The House package would: * Allow life sentences for those convicted of terrorism. * Extend the statute of limitations on terrorist crimes from 8 to 15 years. * Allow officials to detain foreigners suspected of terrorism for up to 7 days before charges are filed. The limit had been 48 hours. * Allow federal agents to get court orders to wiretap all communications of an individual, rather than a particular telephone or computer. * Give law enforcement authorities easier access to sensitive Internet communication, with limited judicial supervision. New laws providing for wider domestic surveillance would expire after 2 years. usatoday.com