An update on the status of legislative initiatives to protect reader privacy via changes to the PATRIOT Act:

The House of Representatives has joined the Senate in approving a three-month extension of the expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act:

Patriot Act Extension Lands on Obama’s Desk, Wired News

In the meantime, the Senate Judiciary Committee today takes up S. 193/290, which would extend heightened protection for library and bookstore records that contain information about individuals reading habits: February 17 Business Meeting, Senate Judiciary Committee

And a vote is scheduled for Thursday evening on the Conyers-Paul-Nadler-Jones reader privacy amendment to HR 1, the 2011 continuing resolution spending bill. If passed, the amendment would halt all funding for FISA orders seeking libraries and bookstore records of U.S. citizens. You can urge your representative to support the Conyers amendment to HR 1 via CapWiz or by calling the House of Representatives at at (202) 224-3121. More via the Campaign for Reader Privacy and District Dispatch.