The Texas House of Representatives this week voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill that would end the twice-a-year clock change.
House Bill 1422, which mandates maintaining Daylight Saving Time year-round in Texas, was passed with a bipartisan vote of 136-5 on April 11.
Rep. Will Metcalf (R-Conroe), the author of the bill, spoke ahead of Tuesday’s vote, noting that many Texans found these shifts in time “frustrating.”
“I believe we should stick to a time without switching twice a year,” said Metcalf, according to The Texas Tribune.
Having passed in the House, the next step is for the bill to be presented to the Senate for consideration. However, even if the bill passes in the Senate and is signed by the governor, the law cannot yet go into effect.
The bill reads: “If the United States Congress does not enact legislation that becomes law described by this subsection, this Act has no effect.”
Individual states can opt out of observing DST by passing a state law to that effect, but “states do not have the authority to choose to be on permanent Daylight Saving Time,” according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The DOT is the entity that oversees the nation’s time zones and the observance of Daylight Saving Time.
Multiple lawmakers have already introduced several pieces of legislation that have the same goal of making DST permanent, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. At least 19 other states thus far have passed or supported similar legislation or resolutions.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the Sunshine Protection Act (SB 582) to the 118th U.S. Congress ahead of the start of Daylight Saving Time this year, supporting this notion.
“This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid. Locking the clock has overwhelming bipartisan and popular support,” claimed Rubio in a press release. “This Congress, I hope that we can finally get this done,” he continued.
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) introduced companion legislation (HR 1279) in the House. So far, no further action has been taken on these measures in the U.S. Congress.
A representative survey conducted last year by CBS News found that while Americans may be divided on whether Daylight Saving Time is better than Standard Time, an overwhelming majority agree that the practice of changing the clocks twice a year should be laid to rest.
Of the more than 1,600 respondents polled in the survey, 46% preferred Daylight Saving Time year-round, 33% preferred Standard Time year-round, and only 21% preferred to keep the current system of changing the clocks twice per year.
