(WWJ) — Is time finally up for daylight saving in Michigan?
On Tuesday, the Michigan House voted 87-22 to end the current twice-a-year time change system, pending support from Congress, according to MLive.com.
That would keep Michigan on the same time-schedule all year long, with no “fall back” or “spring forward” occurring every November and March.
House Bill 4025 is sponsored by Rep. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, and proposes two possible paths for the bill.
The first suggests that Michigan would make the switch to a year-round standard time if federal lawmakers voted to end daylight saving time.
Inversely, Congress could vote to allow the observation of daylight saving time throughout the year, although surrounding states including Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin would also have to opt in to that initiative.
In order for the bill to become law, it would need to pass in the Senate and then be signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Related
This is certainly not the first time the attempt has been made to keep Michigan on a set time schedule throughout the year. Just last month, Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, introduced a similar bill to the Michigan state Senate.
Irwin, a longtime supporter of putting an end to bi-annual time change, stated that “increases in road and workplace accidents, as well as heart attacks” occur when we switch the clocks.
Along with Michigan, approximately 27 other states have considered enacting similar daylight saving legislation in 2021, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.