{
  "id": "RL31377",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL31377",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101170,
      "date": "2002-04-15",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:11:56.955941",
      "title": "The USA PATRIOT Act: A Legal Analysis",
      "summary": "The USA PATRIOT Act passed in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. It flows from\na\nconsultation draft circulated by the Department of Justice, to which Congress made substantial\nmodifications and additions. The stated purpose of the Act is to enable law enforcement officials\nto track down and punish those responsible for the attacks and to protect against any similar attacks.\n  The Act grants federal officials greater powers to trace and intercept terrorists' communications\nboth for law enforcement and foreign intelligence purposes. It reenforces federal anti-money\nlaundering laws and regulations in an effort to deny terrorists the resources necessary for future\nattacks. It tightens our immigration laws to close our borders to foreign terrorists and to expel those\namong us. Finally, it creates a few new federal crimes, such as the one outlawing terrorists' attacks\non mass transit; increases the penalties for many others; and institutes several procedural changes,\nsuch as a longer statute of limitations for crimes of terrorism.\n  Critics have suggested that it may go too far. The authority to monitor e-mail traffic, to share\ngrand jury information with intelligence and immigration officers, to confiscate property, and to\nimpose new book-keeping requirements on financial institutions, are among the features troubling\nto some.\n  The Act itself responds to some of these reservations. Many of the wiretapping and foreign\nintelligence amendments sunset on December 31, 2005. The Act creates judicial safeguards for\ne-mail monitoring and grand jury disclosures; recognizes innocent owner defenses to forfeiture; and\nentrusts enhanced anti-money laundering powers to those regulatory authorities whose concerns\ninclude the well being of our financial institutions.\n  This report, stripped of its citations and footnotes, is available in an abbreviated form as  CRS Report RS21203(pdf) ,  The USA PATRIOT Act: A Sketch . In addition, much of the\ninformation contained\nhere may also be found under a different arrangement in  CRS Report RL31200(pdf) ,  Terrorism:\nSection\nby Section Analysis of the USA PATRIOT Act . A wider array of terrorism-related analysis\nappears\non the CRS terrorism electronic briefing book page.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "encoding": "utf-8",
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL31377",
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL31377",
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      ],
      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "American Law",
    "Intelligence and National Security"
  ]
}