Utah lawmakers halted a bill that aimed to keep the state on standard time year-round, despite strong support from residents. A recent poll conducted by the Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics showed that 81% of registered voters supported the proposed legislation. The bill, sponsored by Joseph Elison, passed the House but was stopped in a Senate committee hearing. The legislation aimed to put an end to the practice of changing clocks twice a year.
The poll, conducted among 805 registered Utah voters, found that both Republicans and Democrats supported the bill, with 54% of Republicans and 50% of Democrats in favor. Currently, the Uniform Time Act of 1966 allows states to choose whether to observe daylight saving time or stick to standard time year-round. However, states are not permitted to observe only daylight saving time year-round.
In 2020, Utah passed a law allowing the state to remain on Mountain Daylight Time year-round, if permitted by the federal government or if neighboring states also chose to adopt the policy. The bill HB120, which aimed to establish permanent standard time and eliminate clock changes, was seen as a way to immediately address the issue.
With daylight saving time set to begin on March 9, the debate surrounding the legislation continues. Despite the bill being stopped in its tracks, the conversation around daylight saving time and its impacts on residents and the state’s economy remains a topic of interest for many Utahns.
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