Government Watch

The USA Patriot and Terrorism Prevention Authorization Act of 2005, which passed 251-174, will permanently extend 14 of the 16 most-debated provisions included in the original USA Patriot Act, which became law shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks. The House passed the original Patriot Act 357-66; 99 out of 100 U.S. Senate members also approved it.

"There was much to recommend the Patriot Act in 2001, when its was needed to boost efforts in the war on terrorism as it got under way,” Lantos said. "But its provisions were deliberately not made permanent so that Congress could adjust them as needed.”

Lantos has repeatedly expressed concerns about two Patriot Act provisions in particular: One section that allows government investigators access to business and other records or "any tangible item,” including bookstore and library records; and another provision permitting "roving wiretap” orders that broaden the situations in which surveillance can be conducted.

State government

• Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, earned a top score of 100 percent on Equality California’s 2005 legislative scorecard. Legislators were graded on 15 bills sponsored or supported by the LGBT organization, including Yee’s Assembly Bill 866 to prohibit discrimination on political campaigns.