Panels prepare to beef up laws

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers pushed aside other work Monday to take up the administration's request for wiretapping and other counterterrorism laws, prompted by Attorney General John Ashcroft's warning that terrorists could still be active in the United States.

"We've cleared our calendar," Senate Judiciary spokeswoman Mimi Devlin said. Added House Judiciary spokesman Jeff Lungren: "We know what a priority this legislation is for the administration, the Congress and the country, and we will act accordingly."

One day after briefing congressional leaders privately, Ashcroft publicly urged Congress quickly to expand the FBI's wiretapping authority, to impose stronger penalties on those who harbor or finance terrorists and to increase punishments on terrorists.

Ashcroft, a former senator, told lawmakers the FBI needs his package passed this week, even though Congress is observing the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. "I'm optimistic that we will be able to act quickly to provide law enforcement with the additional tools that are necessary to fight terrorism," Ashcroft said.

House and Senate leaders had yet to see the specifications of Ashcroft's proposal Monday afternoon. The attorney general said it would be ready in a "day or two," which led to uncertainty whether committees will hold hearings or just send the package directly to the House and Senate floors for votes.

The Senate already has approved changing wiretapping laws by amending the Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill last Thursday to make terrorism a reason to request a wiretap.

Broader wiretapping

Part of Ashcroft's terrorism package includes a request to allow the FBI to request wiretapping orders for a suspect instead of a telephone.

That would mean law enforcement agents would be able to tap any phone a suspect uses, instead of having to ask for a new wiretapping order whenever the suspect changed telephones. With the introduction of cellular phones, it has become harder for law officers to track conversations of suspects because of the ease of getting new telephone numbers or new telephones, officials said.

"That's a key piece of legislation that would be helpful to us," FBI Director Robert Mueller said Monday.

Ashcroft also wants wiretapping orders to extend over state lines. That would allow investigators around the country to tap a suspect's call, instead of having to get a separate wiretapping warrant in each jurisdiction. "This is a reasonable upgrade," he said.

The attorney general also said he wants Congress to give him expanded electronic surveillance, search authority and the ability to identify, seize and forfeit terrorists' assets.

The package would include making contributions to terrorism groups a crime under money-laundering statutes, lift the statute of limitations on prosecuting terrorists and increase penalties for harboring terrorists.

After their private briefing by Ashcroft and Mueller on Sunday, senators were positive about moving legislation forward quickly.

"I don't know how soon, but the sooner the better," said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala, top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee. "All of us want to see the details of any legislative plan if there's going to be a legislative response, but Congress, I believe, is in the mood to do whatever it takes to win this war against terrorism."