WASHINGTON, D.C. –- The Senate has approved a six-month extension of the USA Patriot Act to keep the anti-terror law from expiring on Dec. 31, according to the Associated Press.

The House is now expected to come back and consider the legislation keeping the 16 provisions of the law passed after the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington from expiring. Many leaders, including President Bush, wanted to make most of the law permanent, but were stymied by a filibuster in the Senate.

Most of the Patriot Act — which expanded the government's surveillance and prosecutorial powers against suspected terrorists, their associates and financiers — was made permanent when Congress overwhelmingly passed it after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington.

House and Senate negotiators had agreed to compromise legislation that would have made most of the anti-terrorism law permanent and added additional safeguards to the law. But Senate Democrats and a small group of GOP senators blocked the legislation, arguing that the compromise needed more safeguards in it to protect Americans' civil liberties.