SPOKANE, Wash. — States across the Pacific Northwest have formed a working group proposing “ditching the switch.”
According to a news release, California, Oregon, and Washington are proposing legislation to make the Pacific Standard Time permanent.
“If there is one issue most people agree on, it’ s the dislike of moving their clocks from standard time to daylight saving time in the spring and then back to standard time in the fall,” said Padden of Spokane Valley. “There have been scientific studies connecting several health problems with switching back and forth between standard time and daylight-saving time, including greater risks of heart attacks and more frequent workplace injuries. This bill would allow Washington to finally ‘ditch the switch’ by keeping us on standard time permanently.”
Washington Senator Mike Padden introduced the bill and received a public hearing on Tuesday in the Senate State Government and Elections Committee.
Oregon State Senator Kim Thatcher will introduce the bill when Oregon’s legislative session starts on Feb. 4.
California assemblyman Tri Ta has introduced the removal of daylight savings and is waiting for a committee hearing.
Idaho Representative Joe Alfieri has joined the working group and is pushing the bill in Idaho.
“In Idaho, our standard time bill has been drafted as RS30948 and will move to the House State Affairs Committee within the next ten days, where we are confident of its passage,” said Idaho state Representative Joe Alfieri of Coeur d’Alene.”
