California voters approved getting rid of daylight saving time. Here's what happened

ByJames W Jakobs KFSN logo
Monday, November 4, 2019
Science says daylight saving time may be bad for you
Science says daylight saving time may be bad for youMany scientists say it's time for a permanent ban of daylight saving time because of potential ill effects to human health.

California voters approved Proposition 7 to end Daylight Saving Time on November 6, 2018.

So, why did we still change our clocks this past weekend?

It's a fairly straightforward answer with a not-so-simple solution.

The California Legislature needs to get a bill passed, and then Congress needs to approve it.

Democratic Rep. Kansen Chu of San Jose says he sponsored Proposition 7 because changing the clocks twice a year is a hassle.

At the time, Chu said it's been shown to increase the risk of car accidents and heart attacks following the spring change when people lose an hour's sleep after moving clocks forward.

So, what's next?

In January, Rep. Chu says he will introduce an Assembly Joint Resolution urging Congress to authorize states to practice permanent daylight saving time and continue his work to pass Assembly Bill 7 so California is ready for when Congress decides to take action.

According to Rep. Chu's office, there are four bills awaiting action in Congress that would allow California to be on permanent daylight saving time. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA-17) is a cosponsor of H.R. 1556 with Representative Vern Buchannan (R-FL-16) which sets the country on permanent daylight saving time.

The bill is currently pending a hearing in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

There is an identical bill in the Senate, S. 670 pending a hearing in the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. H.R. 1601 and H.R. 2389 both authorize states to shift to permanent daylight saving time and are pending hearings in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Congress has until December 2020 to act on these bills.

Not all states observe Daylight Saving Time nor are they required to by law.

Arizona and Hawaii don't currently observe DST and Indiana only started observing it in 2006.

According to a recent Associated Press poll, most people across the country want to stop the twice-a-year ritual of clock changes.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll comes as this weekend marked the end of daylight saving time. It found that 7 in 10 Americans prefer not to switch back and forth. Four in 10 would like to see their clocks stay on standard time year-round, while about 3 in 10 prefer to stay on daylight saving time.

About another 3 in 10 prefer the current back and forth between daylight saving time in the summer and standard time in the winter. At least seven state legislatures have asked Congress to allow year-round daylight saving time.

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