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Is Daylight Saving Time on the Chopping Block in Texas?

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The 2019 Texas Legislature will see House Bill 49, as well as Senate Bill 190, come forward for debate with respect to ending Daylight Saving Time in the Lone Star State. In the past, a number of bills have been filed to this end, however, none were previously passed. In fact, the closest the state has ever come to seeing this happen was in 2015, when a bill to this effect made it past a committee and actually reached the House floor.

Is Daylight Saving Time on the Chopping Block in Texas?

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According to the Library of Congress, Daylight Saving Time was first put into practice in 1918 during World War I. It was repealed the following year and again reinstated in 1942 during World War II. Designed as a way to conserve fuel and extend the workday, many people today believe Daylight Saving Time has adverse effects (with respect to sleep and health) and have been working toward again having it repealed. Most of Arizona and the state of Hawaii presently don’t observe Daylight Saving Time. There are also initiatives in California, New Mexico, and Wisconsin to have it canceled.

Is Daylight Saving Time on the Chopping Block in Texas?

Photo: Pexels

For this sitting of the Texas Legislature, both HB 49 and SB 190, have been referred to their respective House and Senate State Affairs Committees. Including the part of Texas under Mountain Standard Time, these bills would exempt the entire state from Daylight Saving Time. The process of seeing this happen isn’t a one-and-done vote. They would need to make it past their committees, come up for a vote in both the House and the Senate, and finally, go for signature by the governor. Despite what some see as growing public support, efforts to end Daylight Saving Time in Texas have proven difficult in the past, and may not necessarily come to fruition in this term either.