Title I of the Patriot Act
Title I: Enhancing Domestic Security against Terrorism is the first of ten titles which comprise the
Counterterrorism fund
Section 101 established a separate and unlimited fund, entitled the "Counterterrorism Fund," within the Department of the Treasury. This fund is to be used to reimburse the Department of Justice for costs required to rebuild an office or facility damaged by terrorism, support counterterrorism efforts (including the paying of rewards), and to pay for terrorism threat assessments. It contains an additional provision to reimburse any U.S. department or agency of all costs related to the detention of individuals in foreign countries who are accused of acts of terrorism. The alleged terrorist can be held without the right to an attorney or the right to remain silent.
Condemnation of discrimination
Section 102 was a general statement which confirmed that
This section also reasserted that:
- the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans, including Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, and Americans from South Asia, must be protected, and that every effort must be taken to preserve their safety
- any acts of violence or discrimination against any Americans must be condemned
- the concept of individual responsibility for wrongdoing is sacrosanct in American society, and applies equally to all religious, racial, and ethnic groups; and
- the United States is called upon to recognize the patriotism of fellow citizens from all ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds.
FBI Technical Support Center funding
Section 103 increased funding for the FBI's Technical Support Center to $200,000,000 for fiscal years 2002, 2003, and 2004.
Requests for military assistance
Section 104 amended title 18 of the
Expansion of the NECTF
Section 105 charged the Director of the Secret Service with developing a national network of electronic crime task forces, based on New York's Electronic Crimes Task Force model. This network, also known as the National Electronic Crime Task Force (NECTF) is responsible for "preventing, detecting, and investigating electronic crime, including potential terrorist attacks against critical infrastructure and financial payment systems".
Presidential authority
Section 106 clarified the President's authority to investigate, regulate, or prohibit any financial transactions that fall within the jurisdiction of the US. This section also authorized the President to confiscate assets belonging to any "foreign person, foreign organization, or foreign country" who the President found had participated in an attack on the United States. Finally, this section ordered that if action under this section is based on classified information, that information may be presented to the reviewing judicial authority ex parte and in camera – that is, outside the presence (and possibly without the knowledge) of the accused or his attorney.
Notes and references
External links
- USA PATRIOT Act, H. R. 3162 pp. 7–13 (.pdffile).
- International Emergency Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702)
- United States Code Title 18, section 2332e
- Congressional Research Service summary Archived 20 October 2004 at the Wayback Machine