Hold On — Congress Would Have to Approve Our ‘No Spring Forward, Fall Back’

Many people are rather happy about the prospect of Washington state doing away with its twice-a-year time change, the spring forward, fall back that robs us of sleep and sometimes causes us to miss appointments if we forget to reset.

Senator Jim Honeyford (R-Sunnyside) introduced a bill that would keep us on Daylight Saving Time year round, it passed 46-3. Now it heads for the State House of Representatives, where it's also expected to clear.

Many other Northwest state legislators have called Honeyford, wanting some advice on how to get this passed in their states. Long story short, extensive research has shown there's little to no advantage to turning clocks back in the fall, or ahead in the spring.  It's actually become more of a nuisance, in fact after 'spring forward' studies have shown people who lose some sleep are more likely to get into car wrecks. It's also been shown to briefly decrease workplace productivity, again, due to sleepy employees.

However, even if it passes our legislature, the U.S. Congress would have to approve our abandonment of the clock change. That might take a little while, but hopefully, 2019 will be the last time we have to set the clocks forward. If it is approved, we would simply stay on Daylight Savings Time like we are now, and won't tinker with the clocks again.