The Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce got its way on the majority of bills on which it took a stand in the 1993 Legislature.

But the board of governors may have a tougher time getting its message across in the 1994 session because Patricia Simmons Crane, director of government affairs, has resigned to become assistant director for government affairs in the Utah Office of Higher Education.Crane was praised for her work with the Legislature in the past three years on behalf of the chamber by Scott Nelson, board chairman, and David Bird, chairman of the chamber's State Legislative Action Committee.

No announcement of a successor to Crane has been made by Fred S. Ball, chamber president.

Bird said the board supported HB156, which would have exempted 45 percent of the purchase price of a new manufactured home from sales tax and 100 percent of the purchase price of a resold manufactured home from sales tax. The bill failed.

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The board supported HB228, which would have changed Utah's anti-discrimination law to conform with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The board sought an amendment to clarify that the law would have been the exclusive jurisdiction and remedy for claimed discrimination, but the bill failed.

SB199, which forces all school districts to levy and contribute .0004 in property taxes to the state equalization pool for education was opposed by the board, but it passed.

The board supported SB203, which would have limited local government access to confidential State Tax Commission sales tax audit information, but the bill failed.

Board members voted to send a letter to Gov. Mike Leavitt encouraging him to veto SB199.

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