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Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate stopped bill to get rid of daylight saving time, even as most Utahns support the legislation
The switch to daylight saving time is coming this weekend, and a bill to keep Utah on standard time all year long was stopped Tuesday by the Senate. The latest Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll shows Utahns support the bill to keep the state from changing its clocked twice a year. The poll was conducted by HarrisX started before the bill was stopped. HB120, sponsored by Joseph Elison, R-Toquerville, passed through the House but then was halted in its Senate committee hearing. According to the bill's sponsor said that the bill was the most tracked bill of the session and most Utahns want to an end to having to change their clocks twice a year. The poll informed those answering about the bill and the changes lawmakers wanted to make and asked if they would support the action to get rid of daylight saving time. The poll was conducted among 805 registered Utah voters from Feb. 18-25. The margin of error is +/- 3.5 percentage points. The bill's progress was stopped on Feb. 19. Eighty-one percent of registered voters said that they support the action from the Legislature, with 53% strongly supporting it and 29% somewhat supporting it. The numbers were similar among both Republicans and Democrats with 54% of Republicans in support of the legislation and 50% of Democrats. Currently, the Uniform Time Act of 1966 gives states the option to stop observing daylight saving time and stick to standard time year-round. But, the law does not allow states to observe only daylight saving time year round, as previously reported by the Deseret News. In 2020, Utah passed a law to put the state on Mountain Daylight Time year round, when the federal government allows it or if multiple neighboring states also adopt the policy. Adopting permanent standard time through HB120 would have been the only way to immediately eliminate changing clocks, per Daylight saving time starts on March 9 and the switch back to standard time will be on Nov. 2.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah's time change bill hits roadblock on Senate Committee
SALT LAKE CITY () — A Utah bill that would has come to a grinding halt on Wednesday. H.B. 120 – otherwise known as '' – was brought before the Senate Business and Labor Committee, which voted 7-1 to table the bill indefinitely. This means, for the time being, Utahns can still expect to adjust their clocks forward and back an hour twice a year. Dutch Bros has a new menu item that's only available in Utah (and one other state) The bill was originally introduced by Rep. Joseph Elison (R-Hurricane) and co-sponsored by Sen. Dan McCay (R-Riverton). Under H.B. 120, Utah would permanently adopt Mountain Standard Time as its time of choice until the federal government allows for permanent daylight time – which Utah would then adopt. Utah has already passed a bill that would see the state switch to permanent Daylight Saving Time should enough surrounding states agree to the change and the federal government allow it. The surrounding state threshold has been met, meaning Utah is only waiting for permission from the federal government. Father-son duo survives night in Utah wilderness after finding 'miracle' backpack H.B. 120 unanimously passed through the House Government Operations Committee before earning the House's approval behind a 52 to 23 vote. However, Senate lawmakers seemed to prefer letting the federal government make the final decision. 'I do think when we make this change, we should do it with some other states,' explained Sen. Todd Weiler (R-Woods Cross). 'We are a peculiar people, but I don't know that we want to be extra peculiar with our international airport and our surrounding states by standing out with a different timezone.' Sen. Scott Sandall (R-Brigham City) said the time change would also put Utah on a different time than Idaho for eight months of the year, complicating interstate commerce for his constituents in Box Elder County. Rep. Elison, however, argued that his bill is the only opportunity Utah has to stop changing the clocks now – something Hawaii and Arizona have already done. 'Bottom line is we can let this thing die, which it sounds like it will, or we can punt the ball to the federal government and hope that they take the lead,' said Rep. Elison. 'I'd rather take the lead in Utah personally, but I'm OK with the will of the body.' The Senate Business and Labor Committee's decision to table the bill makes it unlikely lawmakers will take up the issue again this year. This means it is effectively back in the hands of the federal government to decide whether or not to end the clock change and what time we'd observe moving forward. Yeonseung Kim contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senators pump the brakes on bill to eliminate daylight saving time in Utah
A bill that would have allowed Utah to ditch daylight saving time appears to have reached the end of the road. The Senate Business and Labor Committee voted Wednesday 7-1 to table HB120, which effectively halts its progress during the remaining weeks of the legislative session. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Joseph Elison, R-Toquerville, had previously passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 52-23. "We like to brag in the House that we're closest to the people, and I think that was reflected in the vote," Elison told KSL following Wednesday's committee hearing. "To not let it go onto the floor of the Senate, I think, is unfortunate." The bill is the most tracked proposal of the session, according to Elison, who said the majority of Utahns want to put an end to the semiannual changing of the clocks — a practice that is only slightly more rooted in tradition than efforts by Utah lawmakers to abolish it. Utah already has a law on the books that would move the state to permanent daylight saving time, if and when the federal government OKs it or if several neighboring states adopt the same policy, but Elison said adopting permanent standard time is the only way to immediately eliminate the clock changes each spring and fall. "There's never going to be an argument finalized and determined as far as which is better," Elison told the committee. "That's not the whole point of this bill at all. The point of this bill is simply saying if people want the clocks to stop (changing), this is the only thing that we have the authority to do as a legislative body." Although Utahns are overwhelmingly opposed to springing forward and falling back, they are split on whether to adopt daylight saving time — which is currently in effect during the summer months — or standard time — which leads to an earlier sunrise during the winter. A 2022 Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll found that 41% of registered voters in the state prefer daylight saving time, 30% would like to see permanent standard time, while about a quarter support the current system of going back and forth. One of the biggest concerns expressed by those who are opposed to changing the clocks is that it can disrupt sleep routines — especially for people who are neurodivergent or have other special needs. That is the case for Stacy Muhlestein, a Monticello resident who spoke in favor of the bill during Elison's committee presentation. "This is an important issue for families like mine — families that have young children, those with neurodiverse family members and those who have unique medical needs," she said. "For our families, the changing of the clocks does not affect just one hour of sleep. It causes weeks of upheaval with many nights of repetitive sleep loss." She said those "unseen negative effects from the constant changing of the time are quietly suffered in our most vulnerable households" and urged lawmakers to advance HB120. Dustin James Harper, another constituent, shared similar sentiments. "I can say without irony that this bill will affect my family's well-being more than any other legislation being debated this year," he said. "If the bill passes, my family will be better off. The same is true for the hundreds of thousands of families with young children in Utah." Jay Pea, a Phoenix resident and longtime advocate for permanent standard time, said standard time is more attuned to the natural rising and setting of the sun and comes with myriad health benefits. "It's the honest clock and it balances the morning and evening light fairly which benefits our sleep, our mood, our health, our safety, our education, our economy," he said. However, the bill faced stiff opposition from groups like the Utah Farm Bureau and the Utah Recreation and Parks Association which argued that the extra daylight in the summertime is valuable for their industries. "It will have a severe negative impact on the construction industry," said Taz Biesinger with the Utah Home Builders Association, noting that many cities have noise ordinances that prevent workers from starting until 7 a.m. Eliminating daylight saving time, Biesinger said, would force construction workers to toil in the "heat of the day." Ryan Peterson with the Utah Golf Alliance said the game is a big economic driver for the state, and losing an hour of daylight in the summertime would be problematic. "It will be a very negative impact on the game of golf," Peterson said. Vicki Lyman, a Delta resident, also voiced opposition to HB120. "We very much appreciate daylight saving time," Lyman told lawmakers. "As I raised my children, it was great to have that extra hour in the evening to go do activities with them." Elison acknowledged the arguments on both sides, but he said a majority of Utahns want the practice of switching their clocks to change. "It's a big issue for a lot of families," Elison told KSL, "and the fact that somebody can't adjust their golf game by an hour, I think, is kind of crazy." Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, expressed sympathy for families with young children and special needs, but he said the better move is to go to daylight saving time year round. Weiler moved to table the bill. "I just don't want to have to go through this again," Weiler said. Elison told him that isn't likely. 'I don't think this is going away,' he said.
