McALLEN — Texas lawmakers are reviving efforts to eliminate the decades-long practice of changing the clocks twice a year.
Several members of the Texas House and Senate have filed legislation meant to put an end to the seasonal tradition of losing an hour of sleep in the spring due to the start of daylight saving time, only to gain the hour back in the fall when clocks revert back to standard time.
Texas is on standard time right now and will begin observing daylight savings on March 9.
Most of the bills filed aim to adopt daylight saving time year-round, an effort that was pushed during the 2023 legislative session, however, state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, is trying a different approach. Her bill would adopt standard time year-round in Texas, the only option allowed under federal law.
If her legislation becomes law and if Congress ever allows states to observe daylight saving time year-round, voters would get to choose a preference between year-round standard time or daylight saving time.
“The twice-a-year clock change is disruptive and unnecessary,” Zaffirini said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. “Studies have linked these shifts to increased traffic accidents, negative health effects, and decreased productivity.”
Zaffirini’s bill follows similar legislation filed during the 2023 legislative session by Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe. That bill, which would have adopted daylight saving time year-round, garnered bipartisan support among Texas House members but stalled in the Senate.
Metcalf again filed a bill to observe daylight saving time year-round this session, favoring longer, brighter evenings.
“Texas doesn’t need to wait for Washington,” Metcalf said in a news release. “By passing HB 1393, we’ll demonstrate leadership and send a strong message that Texans are ready to move forward.”
The Uniform Time Act allows states to exempt themselves from daylight saving time and stay on standard time the entire year. If they do observe daylight saving time, it must begin and end on federally mandated dates.
But that might change. U.S. Sens. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, and Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act that would make daylight saving time the national standard year-round. In 2022, the U.S. Senate approved a similar bill but the House did not take it up for a vote.
President Donald Trump also pledged to get rid of time changes in a social media post in December, though he pushed for eliminating daylight saving time.
Americans are divided over whether they want to stay on daylight saving time or standard time, though there is more support for getting rid of time changes than leaving it as is, according to a survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
It shows that half of people support legislation that would eliminate seasonal time changes while a quarter, 26%, don’t support it and 24% said they don’t know.
Sleep experts, however, say standard time is healthier because it aligns more with the body’s natural circadian rhythms, which are what regulate sleep-wake cycles, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine which is a member of the Coalition for Permanent Standard Time.
On the other hand, David J. Earnest, a professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics at the Texas A&M School of Medicine, argues that whichever time is adopted is not as important as just eliminating the seasonal changes.
“The key factor is that whatever that time is that you’re on is regular from day to day, week to week, month to month and, preferably over the course of the year,” Earnest said.
He said the changes confuse the body, particularly among children and the elderly.
Studies have also shown time changes are linked to heart attacks, stroke and increased risk of mood disturbances and hospitalization. It is also linked to an increase in traffic accidents, according to John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“These concerns are part of why so many Texans, including a constituent who directly requested this bill, have expressed frustration with the twice-a-year time change,” Zaffirini said. “SB 64 ensures they have a voice in deciding Texas’ approach moving forward and provides long-term stability.”
Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.
Credit: by By Berenice Garcia, Texas Tribune
