THE SERRANO REPORT
July 22, 2005
On the House Floor
This week the House passed
- Foreign Relations Authorization Act for FYs 2006 and 2007
- USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005
Next week the House will consider
- A bill to create association health plans
- Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act
- A bill to limit liabilities for medical malpractice
- Implementing legislation for the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA)
On Capitol Hill This Week
House votes to extend provisions that place civil liberties and privacy at risk
Yesterday, the House voted to extend indefinitely several expiring provisions of the controversial USA PATRIOT Act. Since 2001, when the Republican leadership of Congress originally rushed the bill to enactment shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, Congressman Serrano has criticized the USA PATRIOT Act for its lack of civil liberties and privacy protection . The most troubling provisions, which center on federal powers to conduct terrorism investigations on persons residing in the United States, include:
* Section 213, which gives the federal government broad authority to conduct secret searches and seizures in investigations on matters that are not limited to terrorism, while delaying notification of the target;
* Section 215, which gives the federal government broad authority to secretly request business records, including library patron records; and
* Section 505, which gives the federal government authority to obtain access to business records through "national security letters," which require no judicial review.
The bill also extended indefinitely the "lone wolf," provision of last year's Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, which allows the federal government to conduct surveillance or physical searches on individuals as if they were "agents of a foreign power," even if no evidence suggests that the individual is connected to a foreign government or terrorist organization.
"By so hastily and recklessly extending these questionable provisions, the House has abrogated its responsibility to safeguard the essential freedoms that form the foundation of our system and our society," Congressman Serrano said.
More information is available on Serrano's views on security and civil liberties in his pamphlet, "A Delicate Balance."
Serrano opposes foreign relations bill
This week, the House passed H.R. 2601, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, legislation to allocate spending for the State Department and international programs.
Congressman Serrano voted against final passage of this legislation. Serrano expressed particular concern about the provisions included in three amendments that were passed by the House. One amendment expressed the opposition of the Congress to the premature withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. The second amendment expressed the sense of Congress that the capture, detention, and interrogation of international terrorists is essential to the success of our global war on terror and the defense of the United States. The third amendment, which Serrano found particularly harmful, called for the automatic withholding of U.S. dues to the United Nations unless the organization makes a series of operational changes.
Serrano calls for investigation into Downing Street memos, troop withdrawal
Marking the third anniversary of the controversial Downing Street meetings, during which it was revealed that the Bush administration was determined to push ahead against Iraq regardless of its "thin case" for war, Congressman Serrano criticized the continuing U.S. military involvement in Iraq and called for an investigation into the events that led to the war.
"How many more of our young people will have to die for George Bush and Karl Rove's war of choice?" asked Serrano. "The Downing Street Memos clearly document what little regard the administration had for the truth in their march toward war; they were determined to go into Iraq no matter what the facts. The memos also show how little they cared about planning for the war's aftermath, and our troops continue to suffer the consequences. On this third anniversary of the Downing Street meetings, the time has come for us to re-evaluate both our role in this war and the judgment of those who pushed us into it. As we have seen with Karl Rove's outing of an undercover CIA operative, the administration knew no limits in its push toward war. I want to see some subpoenas handed out.
"And as we reflect on the events that led us to war, we must also look toward bringing an end to this national tragedy. Our continued presence there is making many Iraqis more sympathetic to our enemies. The time has come to bring our troops home from Iraq."
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/ny16_serrano/morenews/nl050722.html