[Jim Price]

Here is a recap of the latest meeting of the Pennsylvania Citizens Awareness Group (PACAG), which took place at Magoo's in Cresson on Tuesday evening, Oct. 3. (Any other PACAG members who attended who have additions or corrections to this recap may do so below.)

Although attendance was light, several noteworthy things were discussed and accomplished.

The first discussion regarded the organization's efforts thus far, and the status of the letter mailing campaign to state senators to encourage legislation to change the noise provisions of the state’s Liquor Code. A June meeting between PACAG members and 35th District Senator John Wozniak was fruitful. Senator Wozniak was sympathetic towards our cause, and said that he would like to introduce legislation to change the noise provisions of the Liquor Code, but would need a co-sponsor in the Senate to get such an effort off the ground.

Several possibilities were discussed, including locating senators from other areas that are most impacted by this problem. Through PACAG email contacts, posting on other regional music message board web sites and through our advertisement in Pennsylvania Musician, we will be putting feelers out there to find individuals in other areas who are interested in our cause, who will start campaigns to get their own state senators interested and involved. Ideally, the eventual goal would be to have a PACAG chapter in every Senatorial district of the state.

We also discussed starting local subcommittees of PACAG in senatorial districts outside of Senator Wozniak’s Cambria County jurisdiction. These local subcommittees can then organize letter-signing and mailing campaigns to their local senators to enlist their involvement in changing the Liquor Code noise provisions, and perhaps become co-sponsors of Senator Wozniak’s proposed legislation. One of the first subcommittees will be in Blair County, and a meeting to organize the Blair County subcommittee of PACAG will be announced within the next few weeks. This subcommittee will target the eventual winner of the 30th District Senatorial race between John Eichelberger and Greg Morris.

In addition, ideas were discussed for future benefit and informational concert events for PACAG and its subcommittees, to spread the word about PACAG and its mission, and to enlist new members to help in the effort.

In all, this meeting succeeded in recapping what PACAG has accomplished thus far, and established new courses of action to help us attain our objectives.
_________________

http://pamusician.net