CALIFORNIA, USA — A California lawmaker is proposing a bill that would get rid of daylight saving time. Similar legislation has also been proposed by other representatives across the United States.
Clocks will "spring forward" one hour on March 10 at 2 a.m., causing most people to lose an hour of sleep. But California State Senator Roger Niello, along with several other representatives, is looking to change that.
"We are also coordinating this with Western states so that if we're all successful, we won't be on different times. Arizona already is on permanent standard time, as is Hawaii. Washington, Oregon and Idaho are currently working on legislation, as am I, so there's a purposeful coordination on this," Niello, a Republican representing Roseville, told ABC10.
While there have been multiple efforts in Congress to make daylight saving time permanent, none of them have been successful yet. In 2018, California voters approved a measure making permanent daylight saving time but Congress would need to approve that change.
"The essential difference between the two is permanent standard time has more daylight in the morning and permanent daylight saving time has more sunlight in the evening," Niello said.
Now there's another statewide effort to make the standard time permanent, as it is in Arizona and Hawaii. Senate Bill 1413 would implement this change.
When Niello tweeted about his bill, Assemblyman Joe Patterson (R- Rocklin) replied, saying he would agree if they moved to permanent daylight saving time.
“I appreciate that Sen. Niello is authoring a bill to get rid of the twice-per-year time change. I hate time changes and it is great there is legislation where we can engage in the debate. My personal preference is to keep Daylight Saving Time on a permanent basis because, as a father of four, I like that my kids can play outside later in the summer months. When kids are active, it’s more healthy. I look forward to the discussion," Patterson said in a statement to ABC10.
Niello said most people agree to "ditch the switch," but not necessarily which one to get rid of, disagreeing between keeping daylight saving time permanent or switching to permanent standard time.
Southern California Assemblyman Tri Ta has also introduced Assembly Bill 1776, which would require the state to observe year-round standard time. Niello is a principal co-author of this bill.
“California voters are tired of disruptive time changes that have outlived their usefulness,” Ta said in a statement. “I am honored to join this multi-state coalition, and I know that this will make a difference to promote the health of the people of California and across the American West.”
Besides changing the clocks, experts say the difference between more light in the morning and more light after work can impact health.
Following the transition to daylight saving time, there is evidence of disrupted and shortened sleep and adverse health and safety effects, according to the CDC. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, daylight saving time should be replaced by permanent standard time as it more closely aligns with the body's internal clock.
Watch more on ABC10 | Why is California still changing clocks for daylight saving time when we voted to change it?
