Over 1.3 million readers this year!

Stop to seasonal clock changes in Wyoming continues to see momentum Tuesday

Pexels

CASPER, Wyo. — A bill that could eliminate Wyoming’s observance of seasonal time changes continued to see momentum on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

The Wyoming House of Representatives passed House Bill 44 on second reading during their Tuesday floor session. The House passed the bill on first reading on a vote of 28-27.

If the House passes the bill on one further reading, it will move to the Senate for consideration.

If this year’s bill ends up being signed by the governor, Wyoming wouldn’t immediately stop observing daylight savings time changes. Montana, Idaho, Utah and Colorado would have to enact similar legislation in order for Wyoming to put the changes into practice.

Representative Dan Laursen noted on Monday that at least one of these states is moving in a similar direction.

“Utah has already passed a resolution,” he said. “There are 12 states nationwide that have passed a similar bill. I think it is a good idea.”

House District 26 Representative Jamie Flitner said Monday that she’d heard some concern from constituents that they would be working in the darkness in the mornings in winter and that students would go to school when it was still dark.

Last Monday, the House Travel, Recreaton, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee approved the bill with no amendments on a vote of 8-1, sending the bill back to the full House for consideration on first reading.

A similar piece of legislation stalled out during the Wyoming Legislature’s 2019 general session. That bill was passed by Wyoming’s House of Representatives but failed on two tie votes in the Senate.

Laursen introduced his daylight savings time legislation ahead of an introductory vote in the House on Feb. 11. The House voted 43-15 during that vote.

“This is a bill I have brought many times, as you know,” “This keeps daylight savings time all year round.”

“The residents and businesses of the state of Wyoming have become more habituated to the eight (8) months of daylight saving time per year than the four (4) months of standard time per year,” the proposed bill reads. “The biannual change of time between mountain standard time and mountain daylight time is disruptive to commerce and to the daily schedules of the residents of the state of Wyoming.”

Time in Wyoming would be referred to as “Mountain Daylight Saving Time” should the changes be put in place.


Concerned about this or other legislation? An online hotline system allows Wyomingites to have messages delivered to legislators on issues they are concerned with.

This article originally appeared on Oil City News. Used with permission.


Back

Related