The US House of Representatives passed a measure curtailing the federal government’s access to library and book shop records by a 238-187 vote on Wednesday.
US Representative Bernie Sanders (Independent, Vermont) sponsored an amendment to the House Justice Subcommittee appropriations bill. The amendment prevents the US Department of Justice (DoJ) from using appropriated funds to obtain library patrons’ and book shoppers’ records without a search warrant, a practice previously allowed under Section 215 of the so-called “Patriot” Act.
“No question; this is a real shot in the arm for those of us who want to make changes to the USA Patriot Act,” Sanders noted. He added that the vote would “rein in an Administration intent on chipping away at the very civil liberties that define us as a nation.”
