Bill To Get Rid Of Time Changes Clears Wyoming House
A bill that could eventually lead to Wyoming staying on Daylight Saving Time all year was approved by the state House this week and is now pending in the Wyoming Senate.
House Bill 44 was approved by representatives by a margin of 32-27 Wednesday. It now goes on to the Senate, where a similar bill was defeated by back-to-back 15-15 tie votes in 2019.
In that vote last year, opponents of the bill called for an immediate reconsideration vote to prevent supporters from having a day or two to pick up an additional vote and then call for a reconsideration vote.
This year's bill would have Wyoming petition the federal government to remain on Daylight Saving Time permanently if the surrounding states of Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Montana do the same. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Dan Laursen [R-Park County], said recently that he wants to get rid of the time change because ''It's hard on people. It's hard on kids and it's hard on older folks."
Laursen says the disruption in sleep schedules affects some people for weeks. He also says the time change invariably leads to an increase in accidents and heart attacks and that it is an outdated tradition that serves no valid purpose in the modern world.
Supporters of the time change argue that it 'helps farmers" and that it is a tradition that most people have gotten used to. Some supporters of keeping the time changes in place also argue that it saves electricity. Opponents of the changes say that isn't true in today's world.
At least 11 states have approved various resolutions to do away with the time changes, and others are pending in other states.
This year's springtime change is next Sunday, March 8.