Bill introduced to keep Washington in Daylight Saving Time year-round

Jan 14, 2019, 3:21 PM | Updated: 4:24 pm

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MyNorthwest.com

Three Washington State Senators pre-filed a bill on Friday to keep the state in Daylight Saving Time permanently.

The bill is being co-sponsored by a trio of state senators: Democrats Sam Hunt and Kevin Van De Wege, and Republican Jim Honeyford. If passed, state residents would no longer have to reset their clocks twice a year, instead allowing Washington to remain in Daylight Saving Time year-round.

“Research has shown that changing to and from Daylight Saving Time twice per year has negative impacts on public health, increases traffic accidents and crime, disrupts agriculture scheduling, and hinders economic growth,” the bill reads.

The bill also notes studies that claim switching between standard and Daylight Saving Time leads to increased risk of heart attacks, more workplace injuries, and increased suicide rates in the days immediately following the change.

Much like similar legislation approved by California voters last November, it would need to be authorized by Congress. If Washington’s passes but is not approved by Congress, the bill says the state would then petition the U.S. Department of Transportation to change the state to Mountain Standard Time year-round instead.

If this passes and is authorized by Congress, it would go into effect the second Sunday in March the year following its passing.

This isn’t the first time this has been introduced in the state Legislature, but with California providing some West Coast momentum on its own end, perhaps now could be the time to finally make the switch.

Other states and territories that currently observe Daylight Saving Time year-round include Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Minor Outlying Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. With the exception of tribal lands, Arizona also observes standard time year-round.

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