State lawmakers will make another push to end daylight savings time when the Legislature reconvenes in January.
On Sunday, state Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, announced he would introduce legislation to “Ditch the Switch.” The move comes just before Washingtonians will move their clocks back one hour when daylight savings time ends this weekend.
“Let’s end this nuisance once and for all,” Wilson said in a statement. “No more springing forward and falling back. Let’s set our clocks one more time and make that the end of it.”
In his announcement, Wilson said he would model his legislation after Senate Bill 5795, which was introduced last session by Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley. Padden will leave office this january.
In January, the Washington Senate State Government and Elections Committee held a hearing on bipartisan legislation to permanently shift Washington to Pacific Standard Time throughout the year.
While lawmakers passed a similar bill in 2019, congressional approval is required to make a switch to permanent daylight savings time. However, Congress has already given states the ability to remain permanently on standard time. Arizona and Hawaii are the only states that do not observe daylight saving time.
“The Legislature has already signed off on the idea of a single time scheme,” Wilson said. “We passed a law in 2019 moving us permanently to Daylight Savings Time if Congress ever allows it. Federal law already allows us to switch permanently to Standard Time. We see support for this already on both sides of the aisle, and we have established a coalition with lawmakers in other states. This is one torch I’m glad to carry.”
During the January hearing, Padden said the idea had gained support from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the American Medical Association, the National Sleep Foundation, the Sleep Research Society and the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms.
“I just think we ought to pick one or the other and be done with it,” Wilson said. “The twice-a-year switchover causes confusion, and there are some who believe it harms our health because it interferes with our natural rhythms. I don’t know about you, but I find it annoying to have to change the clocks in my living room, in my car, and on every appliance in my kitchen. How many of us just let them blink?”
Wilson will introduce his legislation in January. Daylight savings time will end at 2 a.m. on Sunday.