President OKs Intelligence Bill

President Bush signed legislation over the weekend making it easier for FBI agents to demand financial records from casinos, car dealerships and other businesses.

The changes were included in a bill authorizing 2004 intelligence programs. Most details of the measure are secret, including the total costs of the programs, which are estimated to be about $40 billion. That would be slightly more than Bush had requested.

The legislation, signed Saturday, expands the number of businesses from which the FBI and other U.S. authorities conducting intelligence work can demand financial records without seeking court approval.

In the past, “national security letters” could be issued to traditional financial institutions, such as banks and credit unions, to require them to turn over information. The new law expands the definition of financial institution to include other businesses that deal with large amounts of cash.

Supporters of the change say it will help authorities identify money laundering and other activities that fund terrorism. But some lawmakers and civil liberties advocates say the change does not provide enough safeguards to ensure that authorities will not violate the privacy of innocent people.

In other provisions, the law:

* Requires the CIA director to prepare a report as soon as possible on what intelligence agencies have learned from their experiences in Iraq.

* Creates a new intelligence office in the Treasury Department.

* Creates pilot programs to examine whether analysts from one agency should have access to raw data from another and to improve information sharing with local governments.

* Authorizes agencies to continue research on computerized terrorism surveillance projects formerly operated by the Defense Department.