SALT LAKE CITY — There was no dramatic reaching of midnight but the clock has officially stopped on a bill that would have ended daylight saving time in Utah.
Following a 7-1 vote Wednesday, the Senate Business and Labor Committee tabled HB 120, effectively ending its chances to advance this legislative session. The vote came just over a week after the bill overwhelmingly passed in the Utah House.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Joseph Elison, R-Toquerville, said he was disappointed and does not suspect the bill will be brought back.
"I don’t think it will be. This was about the best year it could have been brought back," he told FOX 13 News. "It’s just unfortunate the people’s voice didn’t get represented I thought very well. But it’s OK.
During the Senate committee hearing, several people spoke in favor and against the proposed bill, with groups representing farmers, construction workers and golf associations also opposing the proposal.
If the bill had advanced and eventually passed, Utah would have joined Arizona and Hawaii as the only two states to remain on standard time.
As strange as it sounds, the constant changing of the clocks is a top complaint of constituents. FOX 13 News filed a public records request with the Utah State Legislature and received hundreds of pages of communications demanding something be done. Where the debate really began was over standard time vs. Daylight Saving Time.
