Freedom to Read Amendment fails.

In July, the Freedom to Read Amendment to the Commerce, Justice, State (CJS) Appropriations Bill died in a tie vote--210 to 210--in the U.S. House of Representatives. The amendment, introduced by Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), would have barred the Justice Department from using any of the money appropriated under the CJS bill to search bookstore and library records under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act. Under the current law, investigators must obtain court orders requiring book dealers, libraries, or others to surrender records, but such orders are issued by a special court that handles foreign surveillance or intelligence cases and are easier to obtain than search warrants or subpoenas.

The close vote sets the stage for a major battle in Congress in 2005 over reauthorizing the provisions of the Patriot Act that are due to expire at the end of the year. The House has voted in the past to block portions of the Patriot Act, but Congress has not altered any part of it.