August 24th was the end of the comment period for PROPOSED changes in the regulations. As of 8/26/04, I have not seen that any steps have been taken to make the proposed changes into actual regulations. Basically, at this time, Ashcroft & Co. have said, "How about we change the regulations to say all this new stuff??" : no changes have been made YET. In order for the proposals to become real, they must first be published in the Federal Register. 30 days after they are published, THEN they become enforceable regulations [simply put, they become law 30 days after they are published, which publication has not happened].
Nothing has happened yet. We will have at least 30 days notice before any new regulations become enforceable--kind of like that siren that goes off a few minutes before the tornado comes.

I am a lawyer in real life too, not just on the internet.


Arizona Bar Association # 020771
Iowa Bar Association # 015731
National District Attorneys Association Member # 3745