The House reversed its position on a measure to extend provisions of the PATRIOT Act, two days after the Republican-led proposal was shot down. The House voted 248-167 to bring the measure to a final vote, before its expiration on February 28th, and move it on to the Senate.
The provision will extend the legality of "roving wiretaps," tracking of "lone wolf" terrorists not tied to particular extremist groups, and the seizure of personal or business records through the end of the year.
A procedural move in the initial vote required 2/3rds support for passage, which was not met when 26 Republicans bolted their party's line to vote against the bill. The second round of voting saw only 4 depart from the Republican bloc, with no division among Tea Partiers and Republicans.