Twice a year most Americans change their clocks for daylight saving time. But is the practice still necessary?
South Carolina, along with 18 other states, has made bids to try to do away with the practice of moving clocks forward in the spring and back in the fall, but only two states in the United States have actually succeeded in abolishing the practice in recent years.
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Daylight saving time will end 2 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 6. At that point, the time will “fall back” to 1 a.m., and people can enjoy an extra hour of sleep.
Here’s what you need to know about the more than a century-old practice:
Daylight saving time in SC:Ask Angelia: How daylight saving time could become permanent in SC without act of Congress
Not falling back:Why South Carolina might not ‘fall back’ this year from Daylight Saving Time
When did daylight saving time start?
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Daylight saving time began during World War I in Germany when the country was looking for ways to save energy. Germany moved the clock forward to have more daylight while people were at work. Several countries, including the U.S. in 1918, followed suit for the duration of the war.
Daylight saving time was used again during World War II as a way to save energy for war production and later became a national standard in the U.S. in 1966 when Congress passed the Uniform Time Act.
The only two states that don’t follow DST are Arizona and Hawaii.
South Carolina opts out of time change
In 2020, a bill passed in the South Carolina State House to help pave the way for the end of daylight saving time, but it was contingent on federal authorization for states to observe daylight saving time year-round by amending a federal statute.
This piggybacked off U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio introduced bill called The Sunshine Protection Act of 2021, a bill that “makes daylight saving time the new permanent standard time, effective November 5, 2023,” and it passed the Senate in March 2022.
A new bill to make daylight saving time permanent by having the state Attorney General Alan Wilson submit a waiver request to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation that would not require an act of Congress was introduced in the State House in January and referred to the House Judiciary Committee in February.
Who has voted ‘no’ on daylight saving time?
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Along with South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Idaho, Louisiana, Ohio, Utah, Wyoming, Arkansas, Delaware, Maine, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and Florida have either had some state congressional backing or resolutions passed in the last four years.
Some states have commissioned studies on the topic, including Massachusetts and Maine, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.
Florida was the first state to do away with DST and in 2018 California voters also voted to do away with it, but both states must wait for federal precedent before it can be enacted.
This year, 33 states have introduced 80 pieces of legislation addressing DST. There remain 22 states with 60 pieces of pending legislation. Five states – Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi and Montana, have passed DST legislation, pending federal law authorization, according to NCSL.
Why ‘falling back’ might not be good practice
In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson officially made DST a standard practice in the U.S., now other officials are working to change the practice.
Florida Sen. Rubio proposed the Sunshine Protection Act to put an end to the falling back phase of DST. Here are some of the things included in Rubio’s proposed act to end DST:
- The American Journal of Public Health said better alignment of daylight hours with drivers’ standard work hours will increase visibility and may reduce car crashes. The Department of Transportation also supported this information.
- The change could reduce the risk of cardiac issues, stroke and seasonal depression due to disruption of circadian rhythms.
- A 2015 Brooking Institute study said the end of DST could lead to a decrease in robberies by up to 27 percent because of additional daylight in the evenings.
- A study by JP Morgan Chase found there is an economic activity drop of 2-5 percent when clocks are moved back.
- The International Journal Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity and the Journal of Physical Activity and Health said there could be a reduction of childhood obesity and increased physical fitness for all Americans due to more hours of sunshine in which to be active.
- The Journal of Environmental Psychology found that during DST, pedestrian traffic increases by 62 percent and cyclist activity increases by 38 percent.
- A U.S. Department of Energy report in 2008 showed that the end of DST could mean a savings of 0.5 percent in electricity per day, a total of 1.3 trillion watt-hours. Other studies have shown mixed results in actual savings.
Wichita Falls Times Record News contributed to this report.
Source: https://t-tees.com
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