Latest news with #HouseBill1368
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Daylight saving time: Where Arkansas efforts to ‘lock the clocks' stands
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Arkansans will soon lose one hour of sleep as the clocks spring forward on March 9, marking the start of daylight saving time. However, some Arkansas lawmakers are attempting to 'lock the clocks' and end the twice-a-year time change. Arkansas is one of at least 31 states with bills introduced in their current legislation regarding time change, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. One bill currently in the Arkansas legislature, House Bill 1069, would keep standard time year-round and eliminate daylight saving time. The bill would allow state employees the option to adjust their work schedule one hour earlier during the portion of the year when other states observe daylight saving time. HB1069 is sponsored by Rep. Stephen Meeks (R-Greenbrier), and if passed, Arkansas would join Arizona and Hawaii as the only states to not observe daylight saving time. As of March 6, the bill remains in the House with no updates since Feb. 13. This bill is not the only attempt by Arkansas lawmakers to end the time change in the Natural State. Daylight saving time 2025: These states are trying to 'lock the clocks' State Rep. Sarah Capp (R-Ozark) filed House Bill 1368 in February 2019, which would adopt year-round standard time and eliminate daylight saving time in Arkansas. However, Capp withdrew the bill 23 days after filing it. Rep. Johnny Rye (R-Trumann) filed House Bill 1017 in 2020, the exact opposite of Capp's bill. Daylight saving time would be adopted year-round and standard time would go away. The bill passed the House in February 2021 by a 71-24 vote but died in a Senate committee meeting in October of that year. Rye tried again in 2022 with House Bill 1039, which would have also adopted daylight saving time. One month later, Rye withdrew the bill. Meeks made an attempt in 2023 with House Bill 1568. The bill would have eliminated daylight saving time and observed standard time year-round. The bill was withdrawn three weeks later. Another attempt made in 2023 was done by Rep. R. Scott Richardson (R-Bentonville) and co-sponsored by Rep. Wayne Long (R-Bradford) with House Bill 1104. It was also withdrawn about two weeks after it was filed. Whichever Arkansans prefer, the clocks will be turned back an hour on Sunday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Washington lawmakers may tap brakes on specialty license plates
A mockup of the proposed Mount St. Helens license plate. (Courtesy of the Mount St. Helens Institute) Some Washington state lawmakers want to slow down on specialty license plates once they steer several more across the finish line this session. An omnibus bill approving seven new plates, including ones showcasing pickleball, Mount St. Helens and Smokey Bear, will receive a hearing Thursday in the state House Transportation Committee. In the same meeting, the panel will discuss legislation to stop new plates while a task force reviews the program — from how applications are handled and plates are chosen to the state's ability to recoup costs from less popular plates. The ban would run through June 2029. 'For those who have done the work, we should approve them,' said Rep. Brandy Donaghy, D-Mill Creek, a sponsor of both bills. 'Then we put a pause on special plates for four years to get better metrics.' All the plates proposed in House Bill 1368 and its companion bill sitting in the Senate Transportation Committee have been debated before. In each of the last two sessions, the state Senate voted overwhelmingly to put Mount St. Helens on a specialty license plate but the bills lapsed in the House. Proceeds from sales would go to Mount St. Helens Institute, a private nonprofit organization, to support youth education, land stewardship and science at the state's most active volcano, which is located in the southwest corner of the state. In 2023, the Senate authorized a plate recognizing pickleball, the official state sport, but it too got parked by the House. The money would go to the Seattle Metro Pickleball Association to build a pickleball facility capable of hosting regional and national tournaments and to construct dedicated pickleball courts throughout Washington. Donaghy helped pass a bill last session to put Smokey Bear on plates to boost public education focused on wildfire prevention. The programs would be administered by the state Department of Natural Resources and the plate was first championed by Hilary Franz, the former commissioner of public lands. The LeMay classic car museum in Tacoma is seeking a black and white 'throwback plate' to generate funds for education and job training related to automobiles. And sales of a proposed working forests plate would support the Washington Tree Farm Program. That program helps certify small landowners who practice sustainable forestry. Also proposed in the omnibus bill is a nautical northwest plate to celebrate Whidbey Island's maritime communities. Monies raised would go to Whidbey Island Maritime Heritage Foundation and Historic Whidbey. A 'Keep Washington Evergreen' plate would help fund installation of electric charging stations in the state. The Department of Licensing would be directed to design this plate to have green lettering on a white background in a style similar to license plates Washington issued in the 1970s. Washington now offers nearly 70 different special license plates recognizing the military, sports teams, colleges, parks, firefighters, farmers, elk, orcas, lighthouses, the state flower, square dancers and wine. Fees for specialty plates vary, with the money generally going to support causes that are tied to each plate's theme. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
