Washington and Oregon May Never Change Their Clocks Again!

There is always a lot of talk leading up to the two Sundays a year when we adjust our clocks for the respective time changes.  In the fall we gain an hour moving the clock back (as we did this past weekend), in the spring we lose an hour moving forward.

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Washington and Oregon both passed legislation in their respective State Legislatures, and had the bills signed by both Governors, in 2019 to stay on Daylight Savings Time permanently.  While that sounds great, it can't happen without an act of Congress.

There is an Alternative...

What if I told you there is a way to do away with the twice a year clock change without Congressional approval?  It is what Hawaii, most of Arizona, and U.S. Territories Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have done since the Uniform Time Act of 1966 was passed.

The Act mandates the use of Daylight Saving Time, but it gives States and Territories the ability to 'opt out' of Daylight Saving Time and stay on Standard Time year round.  It does not give States the ability to do the opposite.  A pair of Northwest lawmakers are looking to take advantage of that option.

Washington State Senator Mike Padden (R- 4th District) and Oregon State Senator Kim Thatcher are each running a bill that would keep the Evergreen and Beaver States on Standard Time permanently.  Thatcher put the same bill (SB 1090) forward last year with bipartisan support, but it did not get out of the Senate Committee on Rules.

According to a release associated with the announcement of the bills, both lawmakers have reached out to peers in Idaho, California, and Nevada regarding their Legislatures taking up a permanent Standard Time measure.  Washington's Legislative Session begins January 8th and Oregon's starts February 5th.