The Senate shouldn’t “shirk its duty to reexamine carefully and...

Paul, R-Ky., to S-1038 by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. The Reid bill would extend the provisions until June 2015, without making any changes to surveillance law, but the Leahy-Paul amendment would add privacy and other protections for U.S. citizens. “Without a single improvement or reform, without even a word that recognizes the importance of protecting the civil liberties and constitutional privacy rights of Americans, the underlying bill represents a missed opportunity,” Leahy said. Meanwhile, the Obama administration backed Reid’s bill. In a statement late Monday, the Office of Management and Budget said “it is essential to avoid any hiatus in these critical authorities.” The Senate on Monday agreed 74-8 to limit debate on a procedural motion to start debate on S-1038. The vote capped at 30 hours additional debate time on the motion. After the Senate vote on the motion, expected Tuesday night, there could be debate and votes on the Leahy amendment and others. That could be followed by another motion to limit debate, and then a final vote on the bill. The House is waiting for the Senate to pass its bill, said a spokeswoman for Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va. In the meantime, the House Rules Committee voted to provide same-day consideration authority for a Patriot Act item, said a spokeswoman for Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif. “That means whenever we receive something from the Senate, it can be considered on the House floor on the same day it’s reported from the Rules Committee.” Usually, the House must wait one day, she said.