IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1211 
Expressing the sense of the House that the Guidelines on General Crimes, 
Racketeering Enterprise and Terrorism Enterprise Investigation as modi-
fied on May 30, 2002 (‘‘Ashcroft Guidelines’’) should be rescinded and 
replaced by the former Guidelines (‘‘Levi guidelines’’) to protect Ameri-
cans from domestic Federal Bureau of Investigation spying in the ab-
sence of suspected criminal activity. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 20, 2008 
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House that the Guidelines on 
General Crimes, Racketeering Enterprise and Terrorism 
Enterprise Investigation as modified on May 30, 2002 
(‘‘Ashcroft Guidelines’’) should be rescinded and replaced 
by the former Guidelines (‘‘Levi guidelines’’) to protect 
Americans from domestic Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion spying in the absence of suspected criminal activity. 
Whereas in 1976, the House Select Committee to Study Gov-
ernmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activi-
ties (‘‘Church Committee’’) released a report entitled 
‘‘Intelligence Activities and the Rights of Americans’’ de-
tailing extensive domestic spying on Americans by the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); 
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•HRES 1211 IH 
Whereas the Church Committee found the FBI had developed 
over 500,000 domestic intelligence files on Americans and 
domestic groups and in 1972 alone opened 65,000 new 
domestic intelligence files; 
Whereas the Church Committee found that the FBI’s domes-
tic intelligence activities targeted a broad spectrum of in-
dividuals and groups of all political persuasions including, 
among many others, the Women’s Liberation Movement, 
the Conservative American Christian Action council, the 
NAACP, the John Birch Society, and Dr. Martin Luther 
King, Jr.; 
Whereas in 1976, Attorney General Edward Levi adopted 
Guidelines on General Crimes, Racketeering Enterprise 
and Terrorism Enterprise Investigation (‘‘Levi Guide-
lines’’) to end domestic spying as documented in the 
Church Committee report and to ensure that the FBI 
could investigate anyone as long as there was a rational 
basis for doing so; 
Whereas the Levi Guidelines were adopted to prevent the 
FBI from domestic spying when there was no evidence of 
criminal activity and to address three problems arising 
from abusive FBI practices— 
(1) surveillance of dissenters solely because of the 
nature of their dissent; 
(2) inadequate supervision of agents engaging in im-
proper investigative techniques; and 
(3) the use of improper investigative techniques to 
disrupt the efforts of dissenters; 
Whereas on May 30, 2002, Attorney General John Ashcroft 
released new Guidelines sweeping away the protections 
against improper domestic spying by the FBI set forth 
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•HRES 1211 IH 
in the Levi Guidelines, without demonstrating any need 
for the relaxation of the Levi Guidelines; 
Whereas the Ashcroft Guidelines allow the FBI to abuse its 
investigatory powers to spy upon innocent Americans in 
contravention to the purpose of the Levi Guidelines to 
protect against domestic spying abuses documented to 
have occurred from the 1950s to 1970s; 
Whereas the Ashcroft Guidelines severed the tie between the 
investigative activity and the existence of criminal activ-
ity; 
Whereas the Ashcroft Guidelines permit FBI agents to at-
tend any public meeting whatsoever—whether civic, reli-
gious, or political—as long as they claim there is an 
antiterror purpose, even in the absence of suspected 
criminal activity; 
Whereas documents released under the Freedom of Informa-
tion Act show that in the years following adoption of the 
Ashcroft Guidelines, the FBI has initiated surveillance of 
various peace, animal rights, environmental and other or-
ganizations without any suspicion of criminal activity; 
Whereas the groups subjected to unwarranted FBI domestic 
spying activities include the Thomas Merton Center for 
Peace and Justice, United for Peace and Justice, Rocky 
Mountain Peace and Justice Center, American-Arab 
Anti-Discrimination Committee, People for the Ethical 
Treatment of Animals, Vegan Community Project, Direct 
Action, By Any Means Necessary, Catholic Workers 
Group, American Friends Service Committee, Food Not 
Bombs, and School of the Americas Watch; and 
Whereas the individuals subjected to unwarranted FBI do-
mestic spying activities have included Holocaust survivor 
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•HRES 1211 IH 
and grandmother Edith Bell for her peaceful protests 
with the Thomas Merton Center, former Navy officer and 
ordained Catholic priest Father Roy Bourgeois for his 
criticism of the School of the Americas, and disability 
rights advocate Kirsten Atkins for her educational work 
and leadership of nonviolent environmental campaigns, 
among many other peaceable Americans: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House that— 
(1) the Attorney General of the United States 
should take any and all steps necessary to rescind 
immediately and forthwith the Ashcroft Guidelines 
and reinstate the Levi Guidelines; and 
(2) the Federal Bureau of Investigation should 
return to pre-Ashcroft Guidelines standards requir-
ing a reasonable indication that a Federal crime has 
been, is being, or will be committed before it engages 
in any domestic spying or other investigative activ-
ity. 
Æ 
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