USA PATRIOT Act, Title I
The USA PATRIOT Act has ten titles, each containing numerous sections. Title I: Enhancing Domestic Security against Terrorism deals with measures that counter terrorism. It contains six sections.
Section 101: Counterterrorism fund
A seperate and unlimited fund was established in the Treasury Department for the purposes of reimbursing the Justice Department for any damages caused by terrorist actions, for the payment of reward moneys for any action that leads to the succesful countering of domestic or international terrorists, and for paying for any threat assessment activities that the Department of Justice decides to carry out to counter terrorism.
Section 102: Sense of Congress condemning discrimination against Arab and Muslim Americans
This was a general statement that found that Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, and Americans from South Asia play a vital role in the United States. This section further codemned acts of violence against these people that have occured since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and stated that the responsibility for the September 11 attack lay solely with the individuals who perpetrated them. It also found that "Muslim Americans have become so fearful of harassment that many Muslim women are changing the way they dress to avoid becoming targets" and that "many Arab Americans and Muslim Americans have acted heroically during the attacks on the United States".
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; and
- the United States is called upon to recognize the patriotism of fellow citizens from all ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds.
Section 103: Increased funding for the Technical Support Center at the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Increased funding for the FBI's Technical Support Center to $US200,000,000 for fiscal years 2002, 2003, and 2004.
Section 104: Requests for military assistance to enforce prohibition in certain emergencies
Amended Title 18 of the United States Code to allow the Attorney General to request assistance from the Department of Defense when weapons of mass destruction are used unlawfully within the United States, or are unlawfully used outside the country by U.S. citizens. Chemical weapons are specifically excluded from the definition of Weapons of Mass Destruction in this section.
Section 105: Expansion of National Electronic Crime Task Force Initiative
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 is responsible for "preventing, detecting, and investigating electronic crime, including potential terrorist attacks against critical infrastructure and financial payment systems".
Section 106: Presidential Authority
Clarified the President's authority to investigate, regulate, or prohibit any financial transactions that fall within the jurisdiction of the U.S. 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.
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