Try again: Patriot Act extension passes House

On their second try, House Republicans passed an extension to several provisions of the Patriot Act on Monday night, after an embarrassing flub last week.

By a vote of 275 to 144, the GOP sent the bill to the Senate, a week after it first failed in an embarrassing vote for House Republicans.

There were still 27 Republican no-votes and 65 Democratic yes votes.

Freshmen Reps. Justin Amash (Mich.), Mike Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Raul Labrador (Idaho), Randy Hultgren (Ill.), Richard Hanna (N.Y.), Bobby Schilling (Ill.) and Rob Woodall (Ga.) voted against the bill. They were joined by senior Republican Reps. Jack Kingston (Ga.), Jimmy Duncan (Tenn.) and Ron Paul (Texas).

House Republicans tripped up on the measure last week, when they tried to fast-track the bill without debate and failed to meet the two-thirds threshold needed to gain passage.

The provisions’ detractors ranged from long-time members like Ohio Democrat Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul, to new lawmakers like Reps. Justin Amash and Bobby Schilling. They opposed the measure on privacy grounds.

In a statement explaining his stance, Amash said that the provisions infringe on Americans’ constitutional rights.

“Like many Republicans and Democrats concerned with protecting civil liberties, I have serious reservations about the Patriot Act provisions up for renewal,” he said.

Schilling said he was sticking to a campaign pledge in rejecting the provisions.

"During my campaign I stated that we need increased national security but not without a thorough and complete look at the Patriot Act and its scope,” he said in a statement. “I will continue to support a strong national defense that does not infringe upon the rights of Americans."

After the surprising vote on Tuesday, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy organized briefings where senior lawmakers like Judiciary Committee Chair Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) explained the necessity of extending the provisions.