Daylight Saving Time Passed in Washington – But There is a Catch

Originally named “The Uniform Time Act“, which passed Congress in 1966, it became known as Daylight Saving Time (DST). It extended daylight hours one hour during the non-winter months of the year. Clocks were moved ahead one hour in the spring (spring ahead). Then, in the fall, clocks would be set back one hour (fall back) for Standard Time.

The act also permitted states to opt-out of the time change and remain on Standard Time throughout the year. This did not require  federal government approval. Two states, Arizona and Hawaii, do not observe time changes.

Reason for Daylight Savings Time Goes Away

In the years that followed, the reasons for the time change disappeared. Many people believe that daylight-saving time was first created for agricultural or inter-state commerce purposes. But it was really started by Germany and France during World War I in an effort to save coal by reducing energy consumption. Today, the reality is that this reduction in energy consumption benefit is needed just as much if not more during the winter months than the summer months.

In April 2019, the Washington Legislature passed a bill to move Washington to permanent Daylight Saving Time. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill into law on May 8, 2019. But, there is a catch; the federal government must approve any such requests and they have not acted on this request. So, on November 3rd at midnight Washington state residents are still supposed to “fall back” and turn their clocks back one hour!

In an effort to remedy this uniformly throughout the entire United States, a bill called the “Sunshine Protection Act” has been introduced in the Senate. The act would create a permanent daylight saving time for all the current time zones across the country. However, the bill has not yet been sent to the Senate floor for a vote and is being reviewed in committee.

Other Ways States Working to Save Daylight

There is a work-around that some states are attempting. That is to adopt the Standard Time of the time zone to the east. States in New England have banded together and introduced bills in their legislatures to adopt an “Atlantic Standard Time”, which is the time zone to the east of Eastern Standard Time, then opt-out of Daylight Saving Time. This would put their clocks one hour ahead and have the same effect as DST. Since the federal government doesn’t require approval to opt-out of DST, there would be no delay in implementing this change.

Washington state could also go this route. There is an alternative bill in the state legislature to adopt Mountain Standard Time, not Pacific Standard Time, as our standard time. This would have the effect of moving time one hour later, the same as DST, and not require any approval or legislation from the federal government.

In the meantime, get ready to move your clocks back one hour on November 3rd. Look on the bright side,  you’ll get an extra hour of sleep!

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