AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Sunday morning will be the 58th year in a row Americans (except Arizonians and Hawaiians) will skip an hour, entering daylight saving time. If a proposed constitutional amendment floating through the Texas legislature passes, it could also be the last time.
People don’t like the time change
We asked viewers on Facebook what their thoughts were on the time change, and over 90% showed preference for staying on one time year-round. The problem was figuring out which time Texas should switch to.
“DST is crazy – we’d be no worse of(f) without it,” one viewer commented.
“Please keep daylight savings (sic) time. Earlier sunrise is much better than dark at 4:30,” another wrote.
President Donald Trump, who advocated for a permanent change to daylight saving time in December, told reporters on Thursday he ran into a similar problem.
“It’s a 50/50 issue,” Trump said. “I assumed people would like to have more light later. But some people want to have more light earlier.”
Let the people decide
“People don’t like to have to change the clock,” State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D – Austin, said. Goodwin authored the proposed amendment which would eliminate the time change and give Texas voters the choice: permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time. “Whenever I bring it up it’s amazing how much conversation it generates. People want to have a say.”
Efforts to eliminate the twice-a-year time change have grown in recent years, but none have gotten past the finish line.
“In 2023 Daylight Saving Time legislation received bipartisan support in the Texas House, where members overwhelmingly approved a bill to adopt permanent Daylight Saving Time,” State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D – Laredo, said. Zaffirini authored identical legislation in the Texas Senate. “Although that effort stalled in the Senate, the broad interest in addressing this issue suggests growing momentum.”
Friday afternoon, advocates for eliminating the time change got one more supporter in their corner, State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston. He filed a different, but nearly identical bill to Zaffirini and Goodwin.
“For years, Texans and Americans have debated clock changes, questioning their impact on health, safety, and the economy,” Bettencourt said in a press release. “I for one, would like to have one time a year, regardless what time is chosen.”
If approved by two-thirds of both the Texas Senate and House, voters would get to decide which time to stay on this November.
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