WASHINGTON, June 8: A US law that greatly increased the powers of law enforcement agencies to monitor the private lives of citizens would become even broader under legislation being debated in Congress. The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee considered expanding the USA Patriot Act, which was approved by Congress days after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, over the protests of civil libertarians who say the law infringes on personal freedoms.

“In a post-9/11 world, it would be irresponsible to refuse to provide our law enforcement authorities with vital anti-terrorism tools, based solely on the possibility that somewhere, at some time, someone might abuse the law,” said Representative James Sensenbrenner, the Republican chairman of the committee.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a statement condemned the bill, saying “some parts of went too far too fast, and should be allowed to expire.”

“Lawmakers have critically reviewed this controversial law, and now it’s time to reform it” said Lisa Graves, an ACLU official.

“We must ensure that our civil liberties and privacy are not necessarily curtailed under the guise of national security,” she said.

The Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday approved a draft of the bill that would give the FBI greater power to investigate and wiretap terror suspects. The Senate draft would also make permanent aspects of the bill, which is set to expire at the end of this year.

The proposed legislation, which was approved in a closed door hearing by a vote of 11-4, includes a provision that would allow the FBI to issue search warrants or “administrative subpoenas” for a terrorism investigation without first seeking approval from a judge or grand jury.

Senator John Rockefeller, the intelligence committee’s top Democrat, expressed concern about the “broad scope” of the provision, which he said could be abused.

“We have well-established, constitutionally-sound procedures for securing warrants related to criminal activities,” said Rockefeller, who said he opposed the expansion of the federal surveillance powers.

The Senate Intelligence Committee agreed to a four-year limit on the provisions, which would expire in 2009. —AFP