WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The House Judiciary Committee sent to the full House Wednesday a bill that would hand sweeping new powers to the government to spy on, detain and deport suspected terrorists, or prevent them from entering the country in the first place.
Republicans and Democrats alike supported the bill in a unanimous 36-0 vote as Congress continues working at breakneck speed to sharpen government tools to hunt down terrorists. But civil liberties advocates said the measures pose a risk to the underpinnings of the Constitution.
Members of both parties agreed that the bill wasn't perfect, but struck a compromise. Lawmakers Wednesday also added measures to protect individual privacy, and new power to deny visas to suspected money launderers.
"The bill represents the essence of compromise -- the left is not completely happy with the bill, neither is the right," said Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisc. "It certainly doesn't represent the Justice Department's wish list. I think this means that we've got it just about right."
Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, D-Mich., said the bill was "a good start." He said Congress must act to match investigative tools with new technologies and new threats.
"After much consideration, I have come to the conclusion that it is necessary to update our laws in the face of 21st century realities," Conyers said.
The bill passed by the House Judiciary Committee would give the government strong new authority to quickly tap phones and conduct other electronic surveillance on computer networks, boost penalties for terrorist activities, and allow the government to use immigration law to detain and expel suspects from the country.
Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., attached an amendment to that bill that allows the government to deny visas to money laundering suspects, and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., added language giving individuals legal recourse to sue the government if investigators inappropriately leak information they obtained through surveillance.
But civil liberties advocates said the House bill would trample vital Constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure.
"Without significant changes, the legislation before the House would unnecessarily weaken essential checks and balances on the authority of federal law enforcement," ACLU Washington National Office Director Laura Murphy said before the committee vote.
Under the anti-terrorism bill, the government can use expedited procedures to tap phones and trace e-mail correspondence, including the power to attach a phone tap order to an individual as opposed to a device, and avoid applying for new orders in separate jurisdictions across the country as a suspect and investigation move. It also allows the government to use rules -- originally designed to prevent espionage -- to quickly get approval from a special panel to snoop on suspected terrorists.
Government officials can also use immigration law to detain suspects for up to 7 days before filing charges under the bill.
But to check lawmakers' concerns about civil liberties, the surveillance powers sunset in Dec. 2003 unless Congress moves to extend them. House lawmakers also put the seven-day limit on the use of immigration law to detain suspects prior to filing charges. Ashcroft had sought the power to hold suspects indefinitely.
The full House is set to consider the bill early next week, as negotiators in the Senate between Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Attorney General John Ashcroft continue.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said there was "a good deal of movement" in those negotiations, and the Senate would also take up its version next week.
