The PATRIOT Act was signed into law in October 2001 and it is still one of the most contested laws in the country.  On April 16, Executive Director Tara Keenan-Thomson spoke at a League of Women Voter's Event where the topic was "The PATRIOT Act Today."  Also speaking at the Wantagh Library with Tara was Burton T. Ryan Jr., an Assistant United States Attorney.  The event was moderated by the LWV Nassau President Carole Goldfarb. 

The discussion centered around the more highly contested areas of the Act and its overall affect on the country and American's privacy rights.  Overall, the PATRIOT Act has expanded law enforcement authority in the areas of electronic surveillance and medical and financial records.  At the same time that it has eased foreign and domestic intelligence gathering restrictions, it has enhanced discretion for law enforcement agencies and immigration authorities in detaining and deporting immigrants which greatly increases the power of government officials to investigate individuals. The expanded definition of terrorism which includes domestic terrorism and narcoterrorism further enlarges law enforcement activities and powers.

When the Act was reauthorized in 2006, some changes were made in an effort to reign in the expansive powers. While some of the revisions were a step in the right direction, they haven't gone far enough.  The Act still bypasses the first and fourth amendments and still captures information on countless innocent Americans.  Today, the PATRIOT Act still casts its net too wide and we are still pushing for reform in order to restore the rights of the American people.