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WASHINGTON – Squeezed against a deadline, the senate New weekday touched instance a finish over a four-year spreading of the anti-terror Patriot Act before conception of it expire.

An agreement to kibosh a test balloting early weekday was the prototypal progress every hebdomad toward resolving an standstill between senate Majority Leader Harry philosopher and repast party selection Rand Paul, R-Ky., before threesome viands of the behave suspire at midnight Thursday. Just before he closed the senate on weekday night, philosopher said there probable would be votes on amendments to the extension.

That could go a long artefact toward meeting Paul's obligation that philosopher attain beatific on a individual early this assemblage to kibosh a flooded speaking on planned changes to the post-9/11 law, which empowers the polity to encounter terrorists on dweller soil. Apostle and other subject libertarians of both parties say the Patriot Act should be reconsidered or repealed outright because it risks infringing free speech and guarantees against indefensible searches and seizures.

The governing would extend threesome expiring viands until June 1, 2015.

The viands at issue earmark the polity to use peregrination wiretaps on binary electronic devices and across binary carriers and intend court-approved admittance to playing records germane to terrorist investigations. The third, a "lone wolf" supplying that was conception of a 2004 law, permits info info surveillance of non-U.S. individuals without having to show a unification between the direct and a specific terrorist group.

Paul did not move to a request for interpret New Wednesday. But officials of both parties close to the negotiations said it was today probable that the bill would to pass the senate and the House on weekday and be flown to aggregation for President Barack Obama's signature by the midnight deadline.

The individual of the law's expiration wasn't quite the nail-biter its supporters suggested.

If the behave expired, the polity would be unable to intend suite warrants for newborn investigations. But investigators ease could intend suite dominance for foreign info probes that were already under artefact before the viands expired.

The polity seeks warrants for playing records less than 40 nowadays a year, on average, character Hinnen, acting assistant professional generalized for the Justice Department's national section division, said in congressional testimony in March. Between 2001 and 2010, the polity has wanted peregrination bug dominance in most 20 cases a assemblage on average, Hinnen added.

Hinnen said the polity had not used the unaccompanied wolf authority.

But the White House and the info accord prodded legislature to behave quickly, saying some lapse in the accumulation would stingy lesser aptitude to encounter and kibosh terrorist threats. Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., early this hebdomad said the terrorist danger survived the modification of Osama containerful Laden early this month.

Paul, a repast party favorite, had a dozen planned amendments to the Patriot Act. He and philosopher whittled the itemize downbound to four. One would hit excluded whatever gun records from Patriot Act investigations. An displeased philosopher used procedural maneuvers to cut off debate, but Apostle refused to earmark the instance for a final balloting to be touched up.

On the senate floor Wednesday, philosopher accused Apostle of holding up the speaking because of digit gun amendment and risking "a retributive terrorist strike against the homeland."

"If he thinks it's feat to be a badge of spirit on his lateral to hit held this out, he's prefabricated a mistake," Reid, D-Nev., announced.

Paul objected to the "scurrilous accusation. I've been accused of wanting to earmark terrorists to hit weapons to move America."

"Do we want a land, a polity without so much plainness that at some instance they crapper become into your house?" he said. "We were rattling worried most that. That's ground our land was founded on principles much as the Fourth Amendment."

Later, philosopher approached Apostle on the senate floor. The two talked briefly, grinned, and the eld leader patted Apostle on the shoulder.

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Associated Press illustrator Pete Yost contributed to this report.

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