PATRIOT ACT
Oct 26, 2001
Statute: 115 Stat. 272
Became law: Oct 26, 2001
Oct 26, 2001
Statute: 115 Stat. 272
Became law: Oct 26, 2001
Full breakdown available
This pages provides a high-level overview of this law. For full list of provisions, line-item appropriations, and specific funding allocations, please view our detailed breakdown.
Summary
Gives the government more power to watch, investigate, and stop people suspected of terrorism to protect the country.
What problem does this solve?
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the government found it did not have the tools to stop large-scale terrorism. This law gives law enforcement and intelligence agencies more power to share information, conduct surveillance, and track money to prevent future attacks.
What does this law do?
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 206, Sec. 215
Header:
Roving surveillance authority under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act...
Expands surveillance of suspected terrorists
Allows law enforcement to use 'roving wiretaps' to follow a person who changes phones or computers, and makes it easier to get records from businesses, including libraries and internet providers.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 213
Header:
Authority for delaying notice of the execution of a warrant
Allows for delayed notification of search warrants
Permits law enforcement to search a person's home or property without immediately telling them, known as a 'sneak and peek' warrant, if notifying them could harm an investigation.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 313, Sec. 326, Sec. 352
Header:
Prohibition on United States correspondent accounts with foreign shell banks
Creates new tools to fight money laundering
Requires banks to verify customer identities, report suspicious activities, and avoid doing business with foreign 'shell banks' that have no physical location, to stop terrorist financing.
Defines domestic terrorism
Creates a federal definition for 'domestic terrorism' to include acts within the U.S. that are dangerous to human life and appear intended to intimidate civilians or influence government policy.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 412
Header:
Mandatory detention of suspected terrorists; habeas corpus; judicial review
Allows detention of non-citizens suspected of terrorism
Gives the Attorney General the power to detain non-citizens who are suspected of being a threat to national security, potentially for long periods if they cannot be deported.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 203, Sec. 504, Sec. 905
Header:
Authority to share criminal investigative information
Increases information sharing between agencies
Removes legal barriers that prevented intelligence agencies (like the CIA) and criminal investigators (like the FBI) from sharing information about suspected terrorists.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 801
Header:
Terrorist attacks and other acts of violence against mass transportation...
Creates new crime of attacking mass transit systems
Makes it a federal crime to attack or commit acts of violence against subways, buses, ferries, and other forms of mass transportation.
Strengthens monitoring of foreign students
Requires the full implementation of a program to track foreign students and visitors who come to the U.S. for educational purposes.
Increases penalties for terrorism-related crimes
Raises the maximum prison sentences for many crimes related to terrorism, including providing material support to terrorists and attacks on national defense materials.
Establishes a counterterrorism fund
Creates a special fund in the U.S. Treasury to reimburse Justice Department agencies for costs related to investigating and prosecuting terrorism and rebuilding damaged facilities.
Who does this affect?
- Immigrants and foreign visitors
- Financial institutions
- Law enforcement and intelligence agencies
What is the real world impact?
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Strengthens national security to prevent future attacks
Provides law enforcement and intelligence agencies with updated tools to detect and prevent terrorism, responding directly to the security failures revealed by the September 11th attacks.
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Reduces judicial oversight of surveillance
Lowers the legal standard required for the government to get secret warrants for surveillance, making it easier to spy on individuals without the same level of court approval as before.
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Modernizes surveillance laws for new technology
Updates existing surveillance laws to cover new technologies like email and cell phones, allowing authorities to track terrorist communications more effectively.
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Increases government surveillance powers
Expands the government's ability to monitor citizens' communications, financial records, and other personal information, which critics argue goes too far and invades privacy.
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Blurs the line between domestic law enforcement and foreign intelligence
Allows for greater information sharing between agencies like the FBI and CIA. Critics worry this could lead to intelligence-gathering techniques being used against American citizens in regular criminal cases.
When does this start?
This law became effective on October 26, 2001, but contains several different timelines and deadlines, including provisions that were set to expire.
Sunset of surveillance provisions
Many of the law's most controversial surveillance powers, including roving wiretaps and access to business records, were scheduled to expire on December 31, 2005, unless renewed by Congress.
Deadline for anti-money laundering programs
Financial institutions were required to establish anti-money laundering programs within 180 days of the law's enactment.
Deadline for customer identification rules
Final rules requiring financial institutions to have procedures for verifying the identity of their customers were required to be in place within one year of the law's enactment.
New deadline for machine-readable passports
Moves up the deadline for countries in the visa waiver program to issue machine-readable passports from 2007 to 2003.