Latest news with #WillMetcalf
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Texas Time' is here: Lone Star State moves to observe daylight saving time year-round
Texas lawmakers have disagreed for years over whether and how to abolish the unpopular semiannual clock change in the state, but a bill that is on its way to the governor will finally bring an end to that debate — if Congress also acts. House Bill 1393 by Conroe Republican Rep. Will Metcalf would establish 'Texas Time,' or permanent daylight saving time in the state, if federal lawmakers later allow states to do so. 'Right now, the federal government does not allow the states to make this change, so this is effectively a trigger bill,' said Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, who sponsored the bill in the upper chamber. Under the federal Uniform Time Act of 1966, states may not currently adopt permanent daylight saving time, but they can opt out of time changes by sticking with standard time year-round. That's how states like Arizona and Hawaii can keep from changing their clocks twice a year. Texas joins 18 other states that have passed similar permanent daylight saving time measures, and there's interest at the federal level in allowing the change. But lawmakers have remained divided up to this point on whether to keep changing the clocks or adopt permanent standard or daylight time. At least 13 bills were filed on the topic this session. Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, filed a proposal to make standard time the standard. Zaffirini and Bettencourt also each called for a statewide referendum to allow Texans to choose their preferred time system. Neither of those proposals gained any traction in the Legislature. Critics of permanent daylight saving time have health and safety concerns for their opposition to the idea, often touting permanent standard time as the better option. 'Everybody hates the time change,' said Sen. Nathan Johnson, a Dallas Democrat. 'But this has been studied medically, and there is a ton of health risks' to permanent daylight saving time. 'Daylight saving time itself disrupts the body's natural circadian rhythms and affects sleep,' he said, arguing that traffic accidents could also increase as Texans commute to work and school in the pre-dawn hours. The Senate passed HB 1393 with a 27-4 vote Thursday. The House overwhelmingly approved the measure in April, and the proposal was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk for a signature Monday. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Legislature moves to observe daylight saving time year-round
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
It's 'Texas Time': Legislature OKs permanent daylight saving time, but Congress must also act
Texas lawmakers want to stop changing the clocks. Texas senators approved House Bill 1393 on Thursday, which adopts permanent daylight saving time, doing away with the current practice of changing the clocks by an hour every spring and autumn. Introduced by state Rep. Will Metcalf, a Republican from Conroe who introduced a similar bill during the last legislative session, the bill would eliminate the biannual clock changes for both parts of the state on Central Standard Time and on Mountain Standard Time. The law requires that this new time standard be referred to as "Texas Time." The bill now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott to be signed into law. However, the bill cannot yet take effect because of a superseding federal law, the Uniform Time Act, that states that daylight saving time must begin and end on federally mandated dates. "This is effectively a trigger bill waiting for change with the federal government," state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican who sponsored the bill, said before a Senate debate. With the bill's passage, Texas joins 18 other states that have adopted similar laws and there is interest to make the change at the federal level. Last month, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz advocated for eliminating the time changes during a Senate committee hearing on commerce, science, and transportation. U.S. Sens. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, and Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, also introduced a bill adopting permanent daylight saving time, the Sunshine Protection Act, earlier this year. This would not be the first time the U.S. adopted permanent daylight saving time. The country experimented with the lack of time changes in the 1970s during the Nixon administration as a way to conserve energy. But the experiment, which was meant to last two years, ended early as public opinion soured on permanent daylight saving time over concerns that children heading to school in the darkness were more susceptible to traffic accidents. While polling shows most Americans support eliminating the time changes, state Sen. Nathan Johnson, a Dallas Democrat, urged lawmakers to rethink their support for the bill, pointing to studies that show that standard time is healthier as it aligns with the body's natural circadian rhythms, which regulate sleep-wake cycles. Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Could Texas have daylight saving time year-round?
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Last month, the Texas House passed a bill that would keep daylight saving time year-round in Texas. With the bill on its way to the Senate floor, it has a real chance of becoming law. Even if passed, however, the bill has a caveat. It will only go into effect if the United States Congress enacts legislation that allows the state to observe daylight saving year-round. If no legislation is passed, the bill will not go into effect. This comes as part of the Uniform Time Act, a federal law that establishes uniform daylight saving time throughout the nation. States have the option to opt-out of daylight saving time and remain on standard time year-round, which is what Arizona and Hawaii established. But the act prevents states from establishing permanent daylight saving or changing their time zones without federal approval. HB 1393 is a repeat of last session's push by the bill's author Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, to observe daylight saving time year-round. While it failed last session, it may have a better chance with proponent President Donald Trump in office. Senators introduce measure making daylight saving time permanent year-round 'The House and Senate should push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day,' Trump posted on Truth Social in April. 'Very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of the clocks, a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT!!!' Metcalf responded on X, 'Thank you President @realDonaldTrump I couldn't agree more! I'm proud to share that my HB 1393 to make DST permanent has passed the TX House. It's on its way to the TX Senate now!' A previous KXAN Facebook poll found that over 90% showed preference to staying on one time year-round. The question was which time to choose. While some like to have more light later in the day, others want it brighter in the morning when they, say, take their children to school. This bill would have Texans vote on the future of daylight saving time Some lawmakers believe the decision should be left up to the voters. Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, and Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D–Austin, proposed an amendment that would eliminate the time change and ask Texas voters to choose between observing standard time year-round and observing daylight saving time year-round in a statewide referendum. This proposal has not yet advanced as far in the legislature as HB 1393. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
