WASHINGTON—The House voted 250-153 to renew three key provisions of the Patriot Act, a post-9/11 law giving law enforcement greater surveillance powers on suspected terrorists.

The Senate voted 72-23 earlier Thursday to approve the extension bill in a quiet close to a debate roiled by objections from Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.).

Minutes before the midnight deadline, the White House said Obama had signed the bill from France using autopen machine that holds a pen and signs his actual signature. It is only used with proper authorization of the president.

A short-term expiration would not interrupt continuing operations but would bar the government from seeking warrants for new investigations.


Mr. Paul had kept the law in an impasse all week. He opposed the legislation, calling it an invasion of privacy, and wanted the Senate to vote on amendments he was proposing. Senate leaders eventually allowed votes on two Paul amendments, which were rejected.

The three renewed provisions enable law-enforcement officials to conduct continued surveillance on suspects who switch phones, monitor "lone-wolf" suspects who aren't connected to known terrorist groups and gain access to suspects' business transactions. All three provisions were extended until June 1, 2015.

As the deadline approached, James R. Clapper, the director of national intelligence, warned Senate leaders there could be serious repercussions if the tools expired.

"Today's extension of the Patriot Act means that our intelligence community, military and law enforcement professionals will continue to have the tools they need to safeguard us from future attacks," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said after the vote.

The provisions are contained within the Patriot Act, a law passed in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks that expanded the abilities of law-enforcement officials to conduct surveillance of suspected terrorists both in the U.S. and abroad.

Over the years, some provisions were allowed to expire and others were made permanent, while the three voted upon Thursday require periodic extensions by Congress.

The majority of no votes Thursday came from liberals, while some libertarian-leaning Republicans such as Mr. Paul also voted no. The measure enjoyed support from Senate leaders of both parties.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had hoped to add language providing for further oversight and audits of the activities the law permits. This wasn't allowed as part of the compromise reached Thursday, which prompted Mr. Leahy and some other Democrats to vote no. Mr. Leahy pledged to bring up the oversight language as standalone legislation soon.

One of the Paul amendments would have excluded gun sales from the business transactions law enforcement officials were permitted to monitor under the Patriot Act. "I don't think the government should be sifting through the records of gun owners," Mr. Paul said.

However, the National Rifle Association chose to remain uncommitted on the issue, and the amendment was easily defeated.

—The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Write to Corey Boles at corey.boles@dowjones.com