MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Sen. Murray urges country to move to permanent Daylight Saving Time

Nov 5, 2021, 7:58 AM

daylight saving...

Mark Brown adjusts clocks on the wall at Brown's Old Time Clock Shop in Plantation, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

This weekend, you’ll need to turn back the clock again as Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday. But there’s a chance it will be the last time to fall back, if Washington Senator Patty Murray gets her say.

Sen. Murray, speaking on the Senate floor Thursday, urged the entire country to move to permanent Daylight Saving Time.

“Beyond convenience, this really is a matter of health and safety. Studies have shown that our switch to standard time can increase rates of seasonal depression, as well as heart problems and the risk of stroke,” she said.

“Researchers also believe that if we made Daylight Saving Time permanent there would be fewer car accidents and evening robberies, thanks to a more regular schedule and an extra hour of sun,” Murray added.

Murray also pressed for executive action by the Biden administration to grant states like Washington that have voted to move to permanent Daylight Saving Time a waiver to do so.

In March 2021, Sen. Murray expressed her intention to make that the last time the state’s residents would have to set their clocks forward for Daylight Saving Time. She told MyNorthwest in October that her office is ramping up work to end the twice-yearly time changes once and for all.

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Sen. Murray urges country to move to permanent Daylight Saving Time