Sanders Reintroduces “Freedom to Read Protection Act”

Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Tom Udall (D-CO), members of the American Library Association and representatives from the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression announced at a press conference in March the reintroduction of Sanders’ “Freedom to Read Protection Act.” The legislation is being introduced with over 100 co-sponsors. The legislation would exempt libraries and booksellers from provisions of the USA Patriot Act that allow the federal government to access library or bookstore records without having to get a traditional search warrant. Sanders and other congressional sponsors of the bill believe that the legislation is needed to protect Americans’ constitutionally guaranteed right to read and access information without governmental intrusion or monitoring.

Sanders said, “Section 215 and the USA Patriot Act must be seen in the context of a creeping erosion of our Constitutional rights that little by little, bit by bit, is making us a less free nation – a nation where Big Brother is exercising more and more power over the average person. Fortunately, we have significant support not just from progressive members of Congress but also some very conservative members who share my concern about the federal government reviewing what people read.”

Over 200,000 Americans, through the Campaign for Reader Privacy, have written their Representative in Congress to express opposition to the Patriot Act and Section 215, and encouraged them to cosponsor the Freedom to Read Protection Act. Four state legislatures, including Vermont, and 368 municipalities across the country, conservative and progressive, have gone on record by passing resolutions expressing their concerns regarding the Patriot Act.

Sanders offered the amendment to last year’s Justice Department spending bill. That amendment won with 219 members of the House in support until the Republican leadership kept the vote open for an additional 20 minutes so they could force enough of their members to change their vote so that it was defeated in a 210 to 210 tie.

Sanders concluded, “Terrorism is a serious threat and the United States government should do all that it can to protect our citizens from another terrorist attack. However, we do not have to sacrifice our basic civil liberties and Constitutional rights to do that. We can protect the American people from terrorism while, at the same time, we uphold the United States’ Constitution and Bill of Rights – that extraordinary document that has made us a free nation and the envy of the world.”