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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 13, 2005
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For information contact:
Larry Siems (212) 334-1660, ext. 105
READER PRIVACY PETITIONS DELIVERED TO CAPITOL HILL
Washington, D.C., September 13, 2005—Petitions bearing over 200,000
signatures will be delivered today to Congressional leaders in the
fight to restore the safeguards for reader privacy that were eliminated
by the USA PATRIOT Act, the Campaign for Reader Privacy announced. The
petitions will be presented to Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), author of
the Freedom to Read Protection Act (H.R. 1157) and Senator Larry Craig
(R-ID), co-author of the Security and Freedom Enhancement Act (S. 737).
They will also be given to Senators who have been chosen as conferees
on the legislation re-authorizing the expiring sections of the PATRIOT
Act. "We are proud to present these petitions to Congress on behalf of
the hundred of bookstores and libraries around the country who
participated enthusiastically in the reader privacy petition campaign,"
Avin Mark Domnitz, the chief executive officer of the American
Booksellers Association, said.
Former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder, who heads the Association of
American Publishers, stressed the significance of the petitions even
this late in the legislative process, as a reminder to members of
Congress that "Real people out there care deeply about their privacy
and freedom to read."
"These petitions represent the broad grassroots support from the users
and customers of libraries and bookstores across the country. The
message is clear to Congress: Protect readers' privacy," said Lynne
Bradley, Director of Government Relations for the American Library
Association.
The Campaign for Reader Privacy is a joint initiative of the American
Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, the
Association of American Publishers and PEN American Center. Launched in
February 2004, the Campaign immediately began circulating petitions in
bookstores, libraries and on its Web site, www.readerprivacy.org.
The Campaign for Reader Privacy is encouraged that the bills passed by
the House and Senate re-authorizing the expiring sections of the
PATRIOT Act include a number of the safeguards that it has been seeking
for the past 19 months. While there are important protections in both
bills, the Campaign strongly favors the Senate bill, S. 1389. S. 1389
restricts bookstore and library searches under Section 215 of the
PATRIOT Act to the records of people who are suspected terrorists or
people who are in contact with them.
The Campaign for Reader Privacy is urging its supporters to contact the
Senate conferees to urge them to push for S. 1389. They are Arlen
Specter (R-PA), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Michael
DeWine (R-OH), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Patrick Leahy
(D-VT), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Carl Levin
(D-MI). The House conferees have not been chosen yet.
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