Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) formally introduced legislation today designed to reauthorize and expand the Patriot Act. The ACLU today denounced the proposal, and called upon lawmakers to bring the act in line with the Constitution by restoring proper checks and balances.

Anthony D. Romero, ACLU Executive Director, says:

"The Roberts proposal comes at a time when many realize that the Patriot Act needs to be reformed, not expanded. His bill would give law enforcement extraordinary powers, like allowing the FBI to issue and execute its own "administrative subpoenas," or records search orders, without meaningful checks and balances, even when the government is not investigating criminal activity. His committee rejected fair-minded proposals to limit this awesome power to emergencies. If enacted, the Roberts bill would weaken the Fourth Amendment and all its protections. This effort is completely out of step with growing bipartisan concerns that the Patriot Act went too far and needs to be reformed - not expanded."