[JURIST] The US House of Representatives [official website] voted Thursday to extend the Patriot Act [text], a key document used to combat terrorism in the US. The measure was approved 257-171 [roll call] with 43 Democrats joining 214 Republicans in voting to extend key provisions of the Act that were set to expire at the end of the year. The majority of the nine-hour debate centered on language making permanent 14 of 16 provisions that had four-year sunset provisions. The bill also includes 10-year extensions to two provisions; one allowing roving wiretaps and another allowing investigations into library and medical records. President Bush praised the vote while some democrats expressed concern that the law may allow civil liberties to be trampled. AP has more.