Latest news with #HouseBill1223
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers reject effort to ‘lock the clock' plan giving Oklahomans more daylight in the morning
State Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, attends a special session of the state House at the Oklahoma Capitol on Oct. 3, 2023. (Photo by Kyle Phillips/For Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma House on Tuesday rejected an attempt 'to lock the clock' and remain permanently on standard time. House Bill 1223, by Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, proposed ending the tradition of moving clocks forward an hour to comply with a federal law that requires states to switch to daylight saving time the second Sunday in March unless they specifically exempt themselves. West said his constituents want 'to lock the clock,' but right now Congress gives states two options — change their clocks twice a year or lock the clock on standard time, which means residents would have more hours of light in the morning. He said students are leaving for school in the dark because the sun doesn't rise until after 8 a.m. But Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, said Oklahomans made it clear last year that they want more daylight at the end of the day, not at the beginning. 'They want to lock the clocks, but they do not want to lock the clocks and it get dark at 4 o'clock in the afternoon,' he said. Fetgatter said he walked to school in ice and snow and with wet hair that had icicles hanging from it. After the measure failed 40-54, West publicly congratulated his colleagues. 'Congratulations on that vote because you just guaranteed that we'll continue to change our clocks twice a year,' he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The end of daylight saving time in Oklahoma? Bill aims to adopt standard time year-round
A state representative is working to opt out of daylight saving time in Oklahoma and adopt standard time year-round. Authored by Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, House Bill 1223 would undo Senate Bill 1200, which was passed in April 2024, that requires Oklahoma to adopt daylight saving time as the year-round standard time if a federal law is passed that authorizes the state to do so. Dubbed the "Wyman West Actual Lock the Clock Act," HB 1223 passed the General Government House Committee 5-1 on Monday. If it's signed into law, the bill would require the state to adopt standard time year-round upon returning to standard time on Nov. 2. "This bill will not change when the sun rises or falls. It will change what time the clock says when this happens," West said during the committee meeting. "This would be early sunrise and a later sunset." The bill's progress through the state Legislature comes after President Donald Trump vocalized his opposition to daylight saving time. "The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social in December 2024. "Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation." Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have supported the notion on social media. Musk has shared posts supporting the idea of "abolishing the annoying time changes,' and Ramaswamy has replied to support the notion. With the two leading the newly formed Department of Governmental Efficiency and all three agreeing there is a sense of governmental cost importance, this could be an issue they all tackle. More: Could Daylight Saving Time end in Oklahoma? What Trump proposition, trigger law could do The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees the nation's time zones and observance of daylight saving time, according to the agency's website. That agency cannot repeal or change daylight saving time, nor does it play a role in a state's decision to observe it. Under the Uniform Time Act, states can exempt themselves from observing daylight saving time. However, states don't have the authority to choose to be on permanent daylight saving time. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Daylight saving time could end permanently in Oklahoma under new bill
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Legislative committee supports ‘conscience exemption' vaccine bill
A Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (Courtesy of Executive Office of the Maryland Governor) A legislative committee endorsed a bill Thursday at the state Capitol in Pierre that would allow South Dakotans to sue their employer, church or even family or neighbor if they're barred entrance to a building, lose their job or are demoted because they refuse vaccinations during a public health emergency. House Bill 1223, introduced by Sioux Falls Republican Rep. Bobbi Andera, would not apply 'conscience exemptions' to required school immunizations or health care facilities, or to the South Dakota National Guard if the vaccination is required for federal activation. Andera was motivated by restrictions enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic tied to a person's vaccination status. 'I am supporting this bill because I support the people of South Dakota and science,' Andera said. 'Science is not quick. It never has and it never will be.' GOP members of U.S. Senate probe RFK Jr. on his history of vaccine denial The other supporter of the bill to testify was a representative with South Dakota Citizens for Liberty, a conservative political advocacy group. The legislation faced a wave of opposition from business and medical organizations. Justin Smith, a lobbyist representing the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, told lawmakers the bill attacks South Dakota's 'employment at will' laws, because it would prioritize an employee's 'inner conviction' over business owners' rights to protect themselves, customers, employees and private property. Smith said the bill could empower employees to sue over something as mundane as being put on a different shift or being moved to a different building, which he said could constitute a 'loss of employment status' under the language in the bill. The bill also allows people who sue to collect three times their actual damages and attorney fees from the defendant if a court rules in the plaintiff's favor. The suing party would not be responsible for the defendant's attorney fees if they lose. 'Heads I win, tails you lose,' Smith said. Sioux Falls Republican Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt — a nurse anesthetist — was the most vocal critic of the bill. She said it gave her 'angst' from both a business and public health perspective because a person could walk into another person's home despite that homeowner's personal health or wishes. Passage of the bill would result in 'extreme ramifications damaging as a whole to public health,' Rehfeldt said. 'Where does somebody's personal freedom get to override somebody else's right to personal freedom?' Rehfeldt said. Clear Lake Republican Dylan Jordan said he stands for the 'freedom of everyday workers' in his support. 'You shouldn't be forced by your employer to get any shot you don't want,' Jordan said. The bill passed 7-6 out of the House Health and Human Services Committee. It'll head to the House of Representatives next. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
