HOUSE EXTENDS THE LONG ARM OF POLICE

In its ongoing effort to toughen anti-crime laws, the GOP-controlled House today passed legislation that some Democrats say violates the Constitution's fourth amendment. The House voted 289-142 to allow prosecutors wider use of unlawfully obtained evidence, as long as police were acting in "good faith" when it was collected. Rep. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has criticized the bill, saying it gives too much power to prosecutors and violates constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure. The measure was the second in a series of six bills that the GOP has said it intends to pass to beef up anti-crime efforts. Next up: legislation that imposes a one-year time limit for death-row inmates to file appeals of their state sentences to federal courts.