Abstract

After much controversy and delay, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Reauthorization Act. President Bush signed it into law on March 9. This act reauthorized several provisions of the original USA PATRIOT Act that were to be sunsetted on December 31, 2005.

In his statement, President Bush said:

"Since its enactment in October 2001, the Patriot Act has been vital to winning the War on Terror and protecting the American people. The legislation signed today allows intelligence and law enforcement officials to continue sharing information and using the same tools against terrorists already employed against drug dealers and other criminals. While safeguarding Americans' civil liberties, this legislation also strengthens the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) so that it can better detect and disrupt terrorist threats, and it also gives law enforcement new tools to combat threats. America still faces dangerous enemies, and no priority is more important to the President than protecting the American people without delay."

Capitol Research has compiled the legislative history of H.R. 3199, the USA PATRIOT Reauthorization Act of 2005. Our report follows H.R. 3199 from its initial filing through final passage. It includes the publicly available congressional documents (all bill versions, Congressional Research Service summaries, Congressional Budget Office cost estimates, committee reports, and committee hearing transcripts [if available]) as well as the record of floor debates published in the Congressional Record.

Exhibits

The Exhibits CD also includes this report in PDF format so that it is fully searchable. The CD also contains copies of all of the bills, congressional documents, and Congressional Record excerpts that are noted throughout this history.