News

Actions

Rep. Bishop introduces bill to let states decide Daylight Saving Time

Posted at 9:35 PM, Jul 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-11 23:35:28-04

SALT LAKE CITY — Congressman Rob Bishop has introduced a bill that would allow states to determine how they observe Daylight Saving Time.

The bill, Bishop’s office said in a statement, would allow states to determine if they want to spring forward or fall behind, or remain as-is.

“The Daylight Act simply allows states the freedom to pursue one of these three options. This bill will not force any action nor compel a state to take any action. Quite simply, this gives people the flexibility to do what they want. We are reinforcing the states’ power to govern by loosening the grip held by the federal government,” Rep. Bishop said in a statement.

Daylight Saving Time has been consistently one of the top constituent issues in the Utah State Legislature, but the most ignored as lawmakers faced a multi-billion dollar budget and other pressing issues. Bills have been introduced to fall behind and stay behind (like Hawaii and Arizona). However, any effort to spring ahead and stay ahead would require Congressional action.

A resolution was also introduced in the Utah State Legislature to let voters decide whether to opt out of Daylight Saving Time, but failed.