WA lawmakers split on switch to permanent daylight saving time

Permanent daylight saving time could be on the horizon. That is, if the United States Senate approves.

A bill that passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday could make it so we won’t have to switch our clocks twice a year. Washington state lawmakers are split on whether the move will be beneficial or detrimental to public health.

The House of Representatives voted 308 to 117 in favor of the Sunshine Protection Act. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who has long advocated for permanent daylight saving time, sponsored the legislation.

“My state, where it is often dark earlier than 4 p.m. in the winter, has made it abundantly clear we want permanent Daylight Saving Time,” Murray wrote in a news release Tuesday. “Americans from Seattle to Miami believe it’s way past time to lock the clock — I am calling on Leader Thune to bring this bill to a vote as soon as possible.”

If passed, the measure will allow state legislation from 2019 to kick in. Washington approved a proposal that year to end the biannual switching of clocks, but the law requires congressional approval to take effect. The Senate has not yet scheduled a vote on the bill.

“When I was a member of the Washington State Legislature, I was proud to vote for Marcus Riccelli’s bill to make daylight savings time permanent pending congressional approval — and I was proud to vote to make that possible yesterday, wrote Rep. Emily Randall in a statement. “We’re all excited for more daylight hours to be outside in our beautiful state.”

While the bill awaits a Senate vote, it is already facing opposition, including from Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

Some members of Congress from Washington state have also voiced their concerns about permanent daylights saving time. Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Rick Larsen and Adam Smith and Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse voted no on Tuesday.

“I voted against the Sunshine Protection Act, as it could jeopardize my constituents’ health,” read a statement from Smith. “Substantial scientific evidence proves that Daylight Saving Time is misaligned with the body’s natural circadian rhythms, which can negatively impact sleep, mental health, and overall well-being. This legislation is not in the best interest of the American people.”

According to Dr. Nate Watson, a neurologist at UW Medicine, permanent daylight saving time means people on the western edge of the time zone will have to adjust to what feels like an earlier day.

“People in Seattle, as opposed to Spokane, they’re waking up, they’re being forced to go to work and eat their lunches and live their circadian lives earlier than what their body would naturally want.”

The bill gives states the opportunity to opt out, if they prefer to follow standard time. Watson said permanent standard time would make it so we can lock the clocks without creating new problems.

“Let’s be clear, daylight saving doesn’t add a single second of daylight to the 24-hour day,” he said. “Permanent standard time is the best way to eliminate clock changes and support human health and well-being.”

Daylight saving time this year became permanent in British Columbia. While provincial officials had planned to coordinate the move with neighboring U.S. states, the province ultimately decided to ditch the switch without waiting for its American neighbors.

The upcoming Senate vote could put permanent daylight saving time on the president’s desk, so Washington can catch up.

The White House has voiced strong support for the bill, saying it “would eliminate the time, hassle, and cost involved in changing clocks twice a year, ​saving Americans ​hundreds of millions of dollars in value annually.