A champion of liberty speaks about privacy, cash smuggling

[Declan McCullagh]

Debate last evening:

http://frwebgate1.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=9635463676+0+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve

   Mrs. ROUKEMA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr.
Oxley) for yielding the time. I rise in strong support of this
legislation today.
   Many of us in this Chamber have worked for a number of years to
provide the law enforcement tools that we need to fight the drug trade,
money launderers, and terrorists; and in the wake of September 11, the
terrorist attacks, this has never been more important. And indeed, we
may soon learn that the anthrax attacks are financed by the same money
sources. We do not know that yet.
   The point is that, as has already been outlined, particularly by the
gentleman from New York (Mr. LaFalce), I want to commend him for
stating some of the specifics of this legislation. He has been a
leader, and we have [[Page H7203]] worked together on this, and whether we 
are talking about the bill
prohibiting correspondent banking privileges for offshore shell banks
and authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to take special measures
if a foreign country or bank is deemed to present a money laundering
threat, the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaFalce) went into great
detail on that, and I want to associate myself with his remarks.
   The bill is not perfect. I am sorry that, for example, we excluded
making it a crime to smuggle over $10,000 interstate. We included it
for overseas, but it was not included for interstate. Nevertheless,
this is an excellent bill.
   I would like to say to some of the nay sayers that complain about the
provisions, as to whether or not they deny due process or whatever, the
question has been asked are we endangering the rights and privacy of
innocent Americans. The answer is no, but it does give our law
enforcement officials the requirements that they need for their careful
investigation. It gives our regulators and law enforcement officials
what they need to get the job done.
   May I say that in this brave new world of terrorists, we must cripple
this demonic network. Let me just have a couple of additional seconds
to say that unless we have this strong provision in the bill, it would
make a mockery of the legislation; and it is an absolutely essential
core of anti-terrorist legislation.