Patriot Act Extension Sent to Bush Amid Talks

Congress sent President Bush a second five-week extension of the Patriot Act on Thursday night as Senate negotiators worked to close a deal with the White House on renewing the anti-terrorism law with some new civil liberties protections.

“We need the Patriot Act,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said. “I’m prepared to work on it further.”

Sixteen provisions of the 2001 law were to have expired Dec. 31, but Congress had extended them until today after Democrats and a handful of Senate Republicans demanded an avenue of appeals when the FBI makes demands for people’s financial and other private records.

The Senate voted 95 to 1 Thursday night to extend the current law unchanged through March 10 and give negotiators more time to reach a deal. Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.), a longtime opponent of the Patriot Act, cast the sole vote against the extension. The House passed the extension Wednesday.

Several Republican and Democratic officials involved in negotiations said that agreements had been reached on several issues but that others needed more time.

Earlier in the week, Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho), one of the negotiators who helped block the act’s renewal last year, told reporters that almost all of his concerns had been worked out with the White House.

He and Sen. John E. Sununu (R-N.H.) want parts of the act to be rewritten in several areas, including giving banks, libraries and Internet service providers the right to appeal when the FBI seeks financial and other records of their customers and clients.

Senate Democrats and four libertarian-leaning Republicans had blocked a final vote on a measure negotiated by the White House that would have made permanent most expiring provisions. The Republicans were concerned about excessive police powers.

The law makes it easier for federal agents to gather and share information in terrorism investigations, install wiretaps and conduct secret searches of households and businesses.