Press Release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -– Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) have joined in a bipartisan effort to introduce legislation to further protect the civil rights and civil liberties of Americans. Their legislation aims to ensure that officials within the Department of Homeland Security have the ability to balance public safety with the civil right and liberties that are so important to Americans. The legislation will be referred to the Governmental Affairs Committee, which Senator Collins chairs.

“I am pleased to join with Senator Wyden in introducing this important bill,” said Senator Collins. “The Department of Homeland Security was created in response to the need to safeguard our homeland, and it represented the most significant government restructuring in 50 years. But in focusing our attention on protecting the homeland from future terrorist attacks, we also must ensure that we do not trample on the very values that the terrorists seek to destroy,” said Senator Collins. She added “Secretary Ridge has done an outstanding job at taking these sensitive and important issues into account. So it is the responsibility of the Congress to ensure that federal law supports goals that the Secretary has already undertaken.”