WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2003) -- The Bush Administration is preparing a bold, comprehensive sequel to the USA Patriot Act passed in the wake of September 11, 2001, which will give the government broad, sweeping new powers to increase domestic intelligence-gathering, surveillance and law enforcement prerogatives, and simultaneously decrease judicial review and public access to information.

The Center for Public Integrity has obtained a draft, dated January 9, 2003, of this previously undisclosed legislation and is making it available in full text. The bill, drafted by the staff of Attorney General John Ashcroft and entitled the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003, has not been officially released by the Department of Justice, although rumors of its development have circulated around the Capitol for the last few months under the name of "the Patriot Act II" in legislative parlance.

"We haven't heard anything from the Justice Department on updating the Patriot Act," House Judiciary Committee spokesman Jeff Lungren told the Center. "They haven't shared their thoughts on that. Obviously, we'd be interested, but we haven't heard anything at this point...."

Patriot Act II

(Less than one month after Sept. 11, congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act, which gutted the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution. Eleven hundred pages, ready to go. Just waiting for an 'event'. Now, we find out the Justice Department has secretly been working on a follow-up bill that would destroy even more rights. And they've lied about it's existence. This is bad, folks. This, to me, is proof they are planning another terrorist attack. Sure we've been TOLD there would be one, but now we see the absolute...undeniable...MOTIVE for the attack. BEFORE the attack happens. When the next terrorist attack comes, Ashcroft and Bush will propose this thing 'to keep Americans safe'. This is a BIG story, people.)