Hands off the clock, Ohio legislators say

Ohioans set their clocks back an hour on Nov. 7 as Daylight Saving Time ended. Two days later, two state representatives announced they’re tired of springing forward and falling back.
 
Rep. Rodney Creech, R-West Alexandria, and Rep. Kyle Koehler, R-Springfield, say they are working on House Concurrent Resolution 13 to urge the federal government to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.

 “For only a third of the year we operate on standard time,” Creech said. “Switching to DST would increase the hours of sunlight in the evenings year-round, and could help combat some mental health issues from the darker winter evenings we currently have on standard time. Studies have shown that year-round DST will reduce pedestrian car-accidents, reduce energy usage, and encourage physical fitness of youth since there is more time to enjoy the day.”
 
The resolution urges Congress to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make Daylight Saving Time permanent nationwide.

“Our resolution is to support what someone in the Congress is trying to do,” Koehler said. “I have gotten lots of support for this. Almost everyone I know wants to stop changing our clocks. The question is whether we stay on Standard Time or stay on Daylight Saving Time.”

At this point few people recall what life was like before Daylight Saving time, he said. One negative aspect of the time change is that when it occurs again in March, that’s about the time students are taking crucial assessment tests, Koehler said.

“If that’s not a reason to stop doing it, I don’t know what is,” he said.

 Creech said the resolution has been reported out of the House State & Local Government Committee, and he hopes leadership will soon bring it to a floor vote.

 The General Assembly has passed similar resolutions regularly since 2018.

Daylight Saving Time, suggested by Benjamin Franklin, was adopted in the U.S. and most of Europe during or after World War I.

It became permanent in the United States in 1966, though its start and end dates have changed several times, most recently in 2005.

Arizona, except for the Navajo Nation, opted out of Daylight Saving Time in 1968. Hawaii and U.S. possessions including Puerto Rico and Guam don’t use it.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 19 states have passed laws or resolutions to do away with Daylight Savings Time. But for those to go into effect, the federal government would have to act.

The Sunshine Protection Act was introduced in the U.S. House by Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Florida. An identical Senate resolution was introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida. Both were introduced early this year and are sitting in committee.

The Sunshine Protection Act has been introduced several times before.