A letter expressing concerns with the USA Patriot Act failed to gain approval for mailing to federal representatives at last night's State College Borough Council meeting.

Congress passed the act following the Sept. 11 attacks to give federal authorities increased measures for fighting terrorism.

The letter was to ask government officials to observe the Dec. 31, 2005, expiration date of all but 11 parts and to carefully review the entire act before any extension of that date.

In a 4-1 vote, Council President Richard McCarl along with council members Thomas Daubert, Elizabeth Goreham and James Meyer voted to discard the letter, while Cathy Dauler voted to send it. Council members Janet Knauer and Jean McManis were not in attendance.

The letter was written to address the concerns voiced in a resolution presented to council by the American Civil Liberties Union, which failed to gain
support, said Dauler, who wrote the letter.

"I was trying to express those concerns in a manner in which council members could agree," she said.

Council members who voted against the letter did so for a variety of reasons.

"This I do not see as a local issue," Meyer said. "National issues such as capital punishment, medical marijuana and abortion have come before council in the past and were voted down. These are issues, we, as local officials, are not elected to act on."

Other council members said the Patriot Act is a local concern.

"Will council set limits on the police department? That's the issue at hand," said Goreham, who voted against the letter because it did not address that matter.

Daubert echoed Goreham's opinion and also said the wording of the letter addresses the act on a national level, not the local issue at hand.

"It would be like us passing an ordinance on the death penalty," Daubert said. Rather than speaking for the community as a whole, Daubert said he will express his opinion on the act in an individual letter to federal authorities.

McCarl agreed with the contents of the letter but opposed council sending it as a body because he said it is not the job of local government to endorse or denounce federal law.

"I think we're at a very critical time in the war on terror," McCarl said. "I don't feel we've had any real infringement on our rights at this time. I think 14,000 student letters would be more effective than one letter from us."

Dauler said she was somewhat disappointed with council's action and plans to send the letter on her own.

"We vote on all types of things where the outcome doesn't represent the views of the entire community, such as the new trash policy," Dauler said. "I think people now have a clear idea of how many members of council feel about taking a collective position on a national issue. I really thought there would be a couple people who would support it, but I misjudged."

Council will discuss how the Patriot Act could impact the State College Police Department at its April 14 work session.