Leaked document is Patriot Act sequel?
The Center for Public Integrity claims it has obtained a draft of new US anti-terrorism legislation, which it describes as a sequel to the Patriot Act. The Justice Department says nothing has officially been released, but doesn't appear to deny that the leaked document is genuine. CPI says the draft includes new restrictions on FOI requests, and would allow for additional surveillance capabilities.
The bill, drafted by the staff of Attorney General John Ashcroft and entitled the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003, has not been officially released by the Department of Justice, although rumors of its development have circulated around the Capitol for the last few months under the name of "the Patriot Act II" in legislative parlance. [...] Section 301-306, "Terrorist Identification Database": These sections would authorize creation of a DNA database on "suspected terrorists," expansively defined to include association with suspected terrorist groups, and noncitizens suspected of certain crimes or of having supported any group designated as terrorist. Section 312, "Appropriate Remedies with Respect to Law Enforcement Surveillance Activities": This section would terminate all state law enforcement consent decrees before Sept. 11, 2001, not related to racial profiling or other civil rights violations, that limit such agencies from gathering information about individuals and organizations. The authors of this statute claim that these consent orders, which were passed as a result of police spying abuses, could impede current terrorism investigations. It would also place substantial restrictions on future court injunctions. - Center for Public Integrity, Justice Dept. Drafts Sweeping Expansion of Anti-Terrorism Act.CPI has put a copy of the legislation online.