Know Your Government (Volume 2): The Patriot Act (HR 2162‪)‬

The Patriot Act of 2001 fundamentally changed many of the rights and freedoms most Americans had come to take for granted in the 21st century.


The Act dramatically reduced restrictions on law enforcement agencies' ability to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, and other records; eased restrictions on foreign intelligence gathering within the United States; expanded the Secretary of the Treasury's authority to regulate financial transactions, particularly those involving foreign individuals and entities; and broadened the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities in detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorism-related acts.


Presented in this edition is the full legal text of HR3162, better known as The USA Patriot Act of 2001. Each title of the document has been linked in a long-format table of contents. 


The second section contains a non-partisan, plain English language summary of The Patriot Act, with concrete examples of ways in which it was implemented.