SALT LAKE CITY -- Proposed amendments to the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act would hurt business and potentially mean the loss of jobs. That was the message to Davis County legislators, last week, from Mark Livingston, owner of Bogey's, a private club in Clearfield.

Livingston cited the "economic impact" passage of a bill barring smoking in a private club would have. He said his business dropped 28 percent when the 1995 Clean Air Act was passed barring smoking from any restaurant.

But more recently, in New York State, when smoking was banned from New York bars and clubs, 2,650 jobs were eliminated plus $70 million lost in revenue.

"My e-mail is overwhelmingly in favor of this bill," said Rep. Stuart Adams, R-Layton. One e-mail comes from the members of a country band who often play in bars and clubs, asking that smoking be eliminated.

"Ninety-percent of my employees smoke. I don't," Livingston responded. "We've got to look at this on an economic basis. We can't afford the economic hit by this." He added that he was armed with "several hundred signatures" in a petition opposing the bill.

The economic impact to the state, in terms of $81 million paid in Medicaid for smoking-related or Workmen's Com-pensation issues was cited by Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clinton.

"This isn't a private club, private rights act. Private clubs are just a place to pay an annual charge to get in," he said.

"There has been a lot of lobbying from private clubs, a letter from Gastronomy (Group) to pass this bill for their employees," Rep. Ann Hardy, R-Bountiful, said.

"One of my biggest objections is that private clubs already have the ability to ban smoking," said Rep. Curt Oda, R-Clearfield. "It's not government that should do it."

In a recent Davis Chamber of Commerce legislative affairs luncheon, CEO Chris Dallin said chamber members should oppose the bill. Echoing what Oda said, Dallin said businesses should determine the economics of it, not government.

Such an issue should be left to private clubs to decide, he added.

While Clinton already outlaws smoking in parks, with some other cities eyeing similar legislation, chamber officials reiterated that private clubs should not be forced by legislation to follow suit.

S.B. 77 is sponsored by Sen. Michael Waddoups, R-Tay-lorsville. As of press time, no action had been taken since Thursday, when the bill had been sent to the rules committee.

tbusselberg@davisclipper.com