House Patriot Act Bill Draws Broad Support On Account of
National Security Letter Fix  October 29, 2009  A coalition of
20 civil liberties organizations, including the Center for
Democracy & Technology, released a letter today endorsing H.R.
3845, the USA Patriot Amendments Act. The bill was introduced by
the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers
(D-MI) and Subcommittee Chairs Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA). The Senate version of the legislation,
the PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act, S. 1692, has not drawn a
similar level of support in the civil liberties community,
largely because of the different ways the bills deal with
National Security Letters. CDT has prepared a chart that
compares the two bills.  An NSL is a simple form document issued
by the FBI and other intelligence agencies that requires
Internet Service Providers, banks and other financial
institutions, and credit agencies to turn over records about
their customers. There is no judicial authorization;