The USA PATRIOT Act is a federal law (statute) passed in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The official title of the USA PATRIOT Act is: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act of 2001.

The purpose of the USA PATRIOT Act is to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world; to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools; and other purposes, some of which include:

• To strengthen U.S. measures to prevent, detect, and prosecute international money laundering and financing of terrorism;

• To subject to special scrutiny foreign jurisdictions, foreign financial institutions, and classes of international transactions or types of accounts that are susceptible to criminal abuse;

• To require all appropriate elements of the financial services industry to report potential money laundering;

• To strengthen measures to prevent use of the U.S. financial system for personal gain by corrupt foreign officials and facilitate repatriation of stolen assets to the citizens of countries to whom such assets belong.

The vast scope of the USA PATRIOT Act can be seen in part from the titles of the sections of the statute:

• Title I—Enhancing Domestic Security Against Terrorism

• Title II—Enhanced Surveillance Procedures

• Title III—International Money Laundering Abatement and Anti-Terrorist Financing

• Title IV—Protecting the Border

• Title V—Removing Obstacles to Investigating Terrorism

• Title VI—Providing for Victims of Terrorism, Public Safety Officers, and Their Families

• Title VII—Increased Information Sharing for Critical Infrastructure Protection

• Title VIII—Strengthening the Criminal Laws Against Terrorism

• Title IX—Improved Intelligence

• Title X—Miscellaneous

The USA PATRIOT Act is a comprehensive federal statute enacted in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Its primary aim is to bolster law enforcement's ability to detect, prevent, and prosecute terrorism and related crimes. The Act includes provisions to enhance surveillance, strengthen anti-money laundering efforts, increase border security, and facilitate information sharing among agencies. In Kansas, as in all states, federal law, including the USA PATRIOT Act, supersedes state law where they may conflict. This means that federal agencies operating in Kansas have the authority to implement the Act's provisions, and state and local law enforcement may collaborate with federal agencies under the Act's framework. The Act's broad reach affects various aspects of law enforcement and financial regulation, and it imposes specific requirements on financial institutions to prevent and report potential money laundering and terrorist financing activities.