There’s been a lot of talk about whether people like the time change or not. Now there’s a possibility that a law could change, so Arkansas might stay on Daylight Saving Time and not change clocks anymore.
It has been less than a week since we did the normal turning of our clocks forward one hour for Daylight Saving Time, but one Arkansas Legislator filed a bill a few days prior to that, in hopes to keep Arkansas on this time schedule year-round.
Representative Sarah Capp, a Republican from Ozark, Arkansas, filed a House Resolution (HR 1034) on March 5, 2019. The title of the bill is long, but it basically says that since Arkansas has moved our clocks forward into Daylight Saving Time, we want to keep it that way to “preserve sunshine.”
The resolution passed unanimously in the House, but don’t take that to mean it’s a done deal. It’s not. Here’s why:
HR 1034 is special, because a law has to be changed at the Federal level before it can go into effect.
It’s currently legal for states to decide not to spring forward into Daylight Saving Time, but it’s not legal to spring forward and stay there. This means HR 1034 will now be referred to our delegation in the U.S. Congress for them work on the federal law. Arkansas isn’t the only state looking to change the law. See more about the Sunshine Protection Act to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.
Of the six states surrounding Arkansas, five have lawmakers in discussion about staying with DST permanently: Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas – but not Louisiana yet. That state tried unsuccessfully in 2018 to pass it.
I’m keeping an eye on what happens next. Here’s the text of HR 1034.
State of Arkansas
92nd General Assembly
Regular Session, 2019
As Engrossed: H3/5/19
HR 1034
By: Representatives Capp, Bragg, Breaux, Christiansen, A. Collins, Della Rosa, Eaves, Evans, V. Flowers, Gates, Gazaway, Glover, Hawks, Hollowell, Jean, Jett, L. Johnson, Kelly, Lynch, Maddox, S. Meeks, Pilkington, Richmond, Rye, Scott, S. Smith, Sorvillo, Vaught, Warren, Wing
A RESOLUTION TO EXPRESS THE WILL OF ARKANSAS TO ADJUST ARKANSAS’S TIME TO PRESERVE SUNSHINE; TO REQUEST THAT THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT ALLOW STATES THE ABILITY TO “SPRING FORWARD” AND MAINTAIN THAT TIME PERMANENTLY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
WHEREAS, 15 U.S.C. § 260a, as it existed on December 20, 2018, provides for the advancement of time known as daylight saving time, during the period set by federal law for the advancement of time each calendar year; and
WHEREAS, alternating between Central Daylight Time, also known as “daylight saving time”, and Central Standard Time is inconvenient and does not benefit the people of Arkansas; and
WHEREAS, the exemption from daylight saving time available to Arkansas under 15 U.S.C. § 260a, is equally inconvenient and lacking benefit as the result of adopting the exemption is to never “spring forward”, which would unfortunately dictate more dark hours during the normal awake times of citizens; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of Arkansas that the time for the Central Time Zone as observed by Arkansas be advanced by one (1) hour ahead of Central Standard Time, or “spring forward”, and remain at that time permanently,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
THAT, if the states that border Arkansas express similar interests, the House of Representatives of the Ninety-Second General Assembly of the State of Arkansas call upon the United States Government to amend 15 U.S.C. § 260a to allow:
(1) The State of Arkansas to choose the time that best suits Arkansas’s interests; and
(2) Arkansas and all other states with similar interests to advance the time for each state’s specified time zone by one (1) hour ahead of each state’s time zone.
/s/Capp
03-05-2019 09:29:23 JAW137