In 2018, we voted on Proposition 7 to stop messing with the clocks, but we still do, why?
Proposition 7 didn't actually change Daylight Saving Time, the proposition just gave the state Legislature the ability to enact an end to the time change , if they earned a two-thirds vote and if the federal government allowed it. Federal and State lawmakers have not yet passed the legislation to end the time change.
A Little Time Change History
Time zones in the U.S. began in the late 1800s to help railroad companies coordinate along time zones and to reduce the likelihood of trains crashing.
The passage of the 1918 Standard Time Act altered the time zones.
During World War I, The Germans introduced Daylight savings time as a means to save energy by extending the daylight hours later in the day.
In the U.S., President Woodrow Wilson instituted daylight saving as well, however it was repealed a year later.
DST was reinstated in 1942 During World War II. Many states switched back and forth at will until 1966 when Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which made daylight saving time start and end dates uniform across the country. Arizona and Hawaii opted to keep the Standard time year-round.
In late 1973, President Nixon turned daylight saving time into law. DST was used again to combat the energy crisis by cutting demand by lengthening the later daylight hours. Since it was dark in the morning, people became worried about children’s safety as they went to school in the winter dark, so it was repealed.
March 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the "Sunshine Protection Act", that would have made daylight saving time permanent starting in November 2023. That bill was stalled in the House and it expired.
However, the "Sunshine Protection Act of 2023" was reintroduced on March 2 to make daylight saving time permanent across the nation.
It has been a bipartisan effort to change the law and stop moving the clock back and forth. It needs to get majority votes and pass the House, Senate, and then the president. The bill is currently in limbo.
The twice-a-year time change became a concern due to the disruption in sleep patterns, schedules, work and life. Studies have shown many negative effects of the time changes.
A study published in Cell Press in 2020 found that springing forward each year increases the risk of fatal traffic accidents by 6%. The accidents have been partly attributed to sleep deprivation and circadian misalignment.
The University of Michigan found a 24% increase in the number of heart attacks that occurred on the Monday just after the time switch, compared to other Mondays.
And that's just a few studies.
Wouldn't it be nice to have some consistency?
So when are we going to see the change we voted for?
Ahh the government at work....
Don't forget to set your clocks back 1 hour on Saturday night.
Have a nice weekend....
