Permanent daylight saving time passes Washington state House 90-6, heads to Inslee's desk

[brooklynite]

Source: Seattle Times

Lovers of the winter sunset, rejoice.

A bill to put Washington state permanently on daylight saving time has passed the state House of Representatives 90-6 and now heads to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk for a signature. Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, who is among the bill’s sponsors, said he’s had every indication that the governor intends to sign the bill.

Last week, the state Senate voted 46-2 to get Washington state off the twice-a-year time change seesaw and adopt permanent daylight saving time, which we currently observe eight months of the year. Amendments to House Bill 1196 made in the Senate were accepted by the House in Tuesday morning’s vote.

“The people of Washington have said they want to #DitchTheSwitch, and passing this bill sends that message loud and clear to the other Washington,” Riccelli, wrote in a news release posted on his website.

Read more: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/permanent-daylight-saving-time-passes-washington-state-house-90-6-heads-to-inslees-desk/

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A similar Bill has passed the house in Tennessee.

[Berlin Expat]

1. Here's the link to the Seattle Times story:

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/permanent-daylight-saving-time-passes-washington-state-house-90-6-heads-to-inslees-desk/

[More_Cowbell]

2. Florida passed it last year, still waiting for Congress to act

California voters passed a similar ballot initiative that has to go through the legislature and then Congress.

Oddly, no Congressional permission is needed if states want to stay on standard time. Some states might end up doing that eventually, if Congress fails to act. I think that TX and KS are already considering that.

[SFnomad]

3. What is this going to do to Northern Idaho during Standard Time?

Will both Washington and Montana be on the same time and Northern Idaho be an hour after them?

[Auggie]

4. I think this makes sense if all the PST states do the same.

I don't care what we do in California. But if Inslee approves, and if the people of California agree, then do it. Just wish Oregon, Arizona and Nevada get on board too. Keep it simple for the rest of the world.

Switching back and forth to DST has never bothered me.

[OnlinePoker]

7. They keep talking about it here in B.C.

It seems there is more of a concerted push to do it this time and if Washington, Oregon and California make the switch I think we'll follow suit. If the whole west coast changes, that might be enough incentive for everywhere else to do it as well.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

20. AZ doesn't do time change.

[SFnomad]

22. The Navajo Nation, within Arizona does do Daylight Savings Time

Which makes it odd, it's like an island within Arizona that is a different time for most of the year.

[Honeycombe8]

5. For climate changers, this is bad news.

The reason we have daylight savings time is because it saves energy. Without it, energy consumption will rise, and contribute to climate change more.

[Auggie]

8. Excellent point

[pnwmom]

11. The poster misunderstood. WA wants to return to the energy-saving year-round DST.

Which the whole country had for a period in the late 70's, in order to save energy during an energy crisis.

[Honeycombe8]

12. No...energy needs vary, depending on time of year. That's the energy savings part.

If it were just that only certain hours saved energy, regardless of time of year, you are right....it would have been changed year 'round.

[pnwmom]

10. No, this is EXCELLENT news. In the late 70's we switched to year round Daylight Savings

to save on energy, during the energy crisis. But when the crisis was over we went back to only part of the year on DST.

Now we would be returning to the energy saving year-round DST.

[Honeycombe8]

13. That's not the way it works. If it were just those hours that saved energy...

it would have been changed to year 'round at the time.

Energy needs vary between winter & summer months. Different times for each save energy. Not the same time frame for both.

[pnwmom]

14. It WAS changed to year round at the time, to save on energy. Then we changed it back.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_in_the_United_States

1973–1975: Year-round experiment

During the 1973 oil embargo by the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), in an effort to conserve fuel, Congress enacted a trial period of year-round DST (P.L. 93-182), beginning January 6, 1974, and ending April 27, 1975.[8] The trial was hotly debated. Those in favor pointed to increased daylight hours in the summer evening: more time for recreation, reduced lighting and heating demands, reduced crime, and reduced automobile accidents. The opposition was concerned about children leaving for school in the dark. The act was amended in October 1974 (P.L. 93-434) to return to standard time for the period beginning October 27, 1974, and ending February 23, 1975, when DST resumed. When the trial ended in 1975, the country returned to observing summer DST (with the aforementioned exceptions).[7]

[Honeycombe8]

15. Okay, now you're confusing me.

I need to read up on this. What you are saying is that we are not really on daylight savings time right now. We are on it only half the year. So we are going to extend it for the whole year (again)....making it daylight savings time all year.

[pnwmom]

17. Right. We are on standard time part of the year and daylight savings the other part.

And in WA state we want to change it back to year round.

[Honeycombe8]

16. Okay, I read up on it. Yes, energy savings results from following the sun.

Which means different time frames in summer vs winter.

The U S tried the same time all year a few times, but it was never agreed that that saved energy. But pretty much everyone agreed that following the sun (spring forward, fall back) saved energy, although no one liked the spring forward timing.

I live in the south. I've always hated the "spring forward" time frame. More sun is the LAST thing we need in the south. It's already so darn hot, even when it's dark.

I'm not sure which is the standard time, though. If it's the "fall back" time, I'm all for it. If it's the "spring forward" time, that would be hell, to have that all year 'round.

[pnwmom]

18. Well, it's WA state that's doing this, so we like "spring forward." nt

[angrychair]

6. I support it but...

It's an empty gesture that means nothing.

Waiting on Republicans in Congress to do anything is time wasted. This is toothless and pointless legislation.

[oldsoftie]

9. Marco Rubio has said he's going to introduce a bill for it after Fl passed their change.

I hope they do it.
I hate darkness at 530. And its worse if you're not too far West of a time zone. In Panama City it'll get dark at 445! Noticeably anyway

[Honeycombe8]

19. Oh, heck no. Not in the south.

The south doesn't need DST for it to be light in the morning in winter. It's bad enough we have DST for most of the year, as it is.

It's HOT in the south, even when it's dark. We sure as heck don't need the sun even more in the winter.

The article mentioned the issue of it being dark in the morning for kids going to school. That it's 8:00 am under standard time. Without standard time (changing to DST year 'round), it would then be 9:00a.m. Presumably dark at 8a.m., but light at 9 a.m.? Here in the deep south, it's light by 7 a.m. in the morning. Maybe earlier.

[Shoonra]

21. Part of this can be blamed on ....

Blame the fiddling with DST to our special-needs president, George W. Bush. He deliberately extended Daylight Saving Time well beyond the accepted six-months on and six-months off, which throw off the changing of the batteries in smoke detectors and other rituals which had previously been timed for six month intervals. The annoyance of having to reset all the clocks an hour back (which was more difficult than an hour forward) only four months before doing the opposite probably stimulated this legislative frenzy.

Now we face an inconvenience that will run north and south, where previously it ran only east and west -- namely changing our watches and other timepieces whenever we cross a state line. TV schedules that are meaningless in the neighboring state. etc.

[samnsara]

23. Then how will i know when to change the batteries in my smoke detector..?