Idaho daylight saving time bill withdrawn

BOISE – Idaho’s bill to do away with the “fall back” and “spring forward” of daylight saving time is dead.

Turns out, what was proposed – year-round daylight saving time – is illegal under federal law.

House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, said Tuesday he’ll withdraw the bill and try again next year.

Permanent daylight saving time was what Moyle had in mind, he said; that was accomplished by engineering the change to occur on July 1. Last year, he proposed unsuccessful legislation to put Idaho permanently on standard time.

“The intent was, I don’t care which one it is, to get it out there and get a resolution,” Moyle said.

A farmer, Moyle objects to the twice-yearly time change; he also says studies have shown it increases accidents around the time of the change.

“The problem is half want one, half want the other,” he said.

Ray Harwood of  TimeZoneReport.com, which reports on time zone issues nationwide and opposes seasonal time changes, pointed out the legal problem.

Federal law gives states just two options, he said: changing back to daylight saving time each March, or sticking with standard time.

Only Arizona and Hawaii don’t observe daylight saving time, though many states – including Washington and Oregon – are debating the issue this year.