![]() ![]() HB 1422 is among at least 18 bills that have been filed this session concerning Texas' time and daylight saving. "Locking the clock has overwhelming bipartisan and popular support." "This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid," Rubio said in a statement last month. Marco Rubio of Florida introduced a federal bill last month that seeks to do just that. Still, the laws cannot go into effect - as HB 1422 notes - unless Congress enacts a law granting states the authority to observe daylight saving time all the time. If HB 1422 were to become law, Texas would join 19 states that have enacted or passed measures for year-round observation of daylight saving time, according to a tally from research group National Conference of State Legislatures. Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and "most of Arizona" do not observe daylight saving time, according to the transportation department. ![]() That's the federal agency that oversees the country's time zones and uniform observance of daylight saving time. But states do not have the power to permanently observe daylight saving time, like the Texas House wants, according to the U.S. Greg Abbott, the measure would still require an OK from Congress.įederal law lets states exempt themselves from observing daylight saving time - meaning they remain on standard time year-round - if they pass state laws doing so. Once the bill gets a final House vote, it still has to clear the Senate. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, asked if the House could vote on who likes which variation of time before voting on the bill, which drew a couple of chuckles. "I believe we should stick to a time without switching twice a year." "The antiquated practice of ‘springing forward' and ‘falling back' - changing our clocks twice a year - is frustrating to many Texans," Metcalf said ahead of the vote. The chamber voted 136-5 on Tuesday to give initial approval to House Bill 1422, from Rep. The representatives' overwhelming verdict: Stay on daylight saving time moving forward. The Academy, though, has argued it's Standard Time we need to make permanent because it's consistent with our natural circadian rythyms.The Texas House has taken sides in one of America's most polarizing debates - whether to continue changing clocks twice a year, ditch daylight saving time altogether or stick with later daylight permanently. That may not seem like much, but when we amplify that across 300 million citizens across the US, we see a dramatically increased risk for adverse health outcomes like stroke and heart attack, mental health outcomes like depressed mood and suicidality, and, of course, public health outcomes like increased risk for motor vehicle crashes," he said. "In the spring and in the fall when we switch in and out of DST, our body is required to adjust by a single hour. "Our appetite, sex drive, learning ability, when we sleep and wake, it's all controlled by an internal body clock that is very, very light sensitive," said Dr Emerson Wickwire with American Academy of Sleep Medicine. House, though, in part because of evidence that might not be good for Americans. Senate opted for an alternative, voting to make DST year round for all states that observe it. The law on "uniform time" helps maintain consistency between states, making it easier to track time as you travel, conduct business, or decide when it's appropriate to call your out of state relatives.Ĭongress would have to act to allow states to adopt DST year round, but might be reluctant to create a situation where time varies state to state and Texas shares a clock with Massachusetts but not Oklahoma. If a state chooses to observe it, though, it must start and stop it on set days. Under federal law, states can opt out of DST altogether, like Arizona and Hawaii do. The National Conference of State Legislatures reports 19 states have already voted to adopt DST year round, but none have enacted it.
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