One of the worst bills introduced in this year's short legislative session calls for Oregon to move to permanent standard time, thereby doing away with the much-beloved (by me and many others) daylight saving time.
This is a horrible idea.
State Senator Kim Thatcher of Keizer introduced Senate Bill 1548, which hopefully will have a well-deserved legislative death. Senator Deb Patterson, who represents part of the Salem area, is a co-sponsor of the bill. I hope she comes to her senses.
Oregon already has passed legislation calling on Congress to allow our state, along with Washington and California, to be on permanent daylight saving time. This would have several benefits: no more changing of clocks twice a year, more light in the late afternoon and early evening when most people want to be outside after work or school.
National polls show that most Americans prefer permanent daylight saving time. For example:
Two-thirds of those polled said they prefer daylight saving time in some form, permanent or part of the year, with just one-third preferring permanent standard time.
We'll be returning to daylight saving time on March 10. I can hardly wait. It's great to be able to walk our dog in the late afternoon when the sun is still shining brightly, instead of close to or after it sets. My mood perks up when daylight saving time returns.
Sure, it's a bit of an inconvenience to switch clocks twice a year. I adjust to the change in sleep pattern quite easily, though I realize others have more of a problem with this. Well, the solution for them is to press Congress to approve the request of Oregon, Washington, and California to make daylight saving time permanent in the west coast states.
It sure isn't to pass unpopular legislation making standard time permanent. The only states that have done this are Hawaii and Arizona. Note their characteristics: they have lots of sun and are much farther south than Oregon!
There's no way Senate Bill 1548 should even have a hearing, much less be considered a serious legislative proposal.
This subject deserves a lot of consideration and public input. Given the popularity of daylight saving time, it's much better to do nothing and preserve the status quo where Oregon enjoys daylight saving time for part of the year, than to rush into permanent standard time.
You can read about the benefits of daylight saving time in "Daylight Saving Time Is Actually a Good Thing." Excerpt:
In reality, DST is an eight-month experiment designed to make life, well, more pleasurable for humans. The basic idea: In the Western world, we typically spend more awake time in the evenings than in the mornings. We also enjoy many benefits from being awake in the sunshine. This National Institutes of Health overview is a good place to read about vitamin D, increased exercise, increased socializing, and overall improvements to mental health that come with sunlight.
Absent DST, for eight months per year our days would not be structured to enjoy the most sunlight possible. Our mornings would be bright and cheerful, but the sun would tend to be set before we leave work each day. This stinks! This gives the average 9-5 adult very little time to enjoy sunlight.
So during the spring, summer, and early autumn, we tweak it, just a bit, so that there’s more sunlight in the evening. In the winter, we abandon DST, because there just isn’t enough sunlight to make a difference. Winter is pretty much a dark hellworld no matter how it’s scheduled. Winter DST would give us a very, very late sunrise and not enough light in the evening to provide the effects we want.
Well, I disagree with that last conclusion. And it doesn't fit with the preference of 46% of Americans for permanent daylight saving time. But like I said, eight months of daylight saving time is much better than no daylight saving time. I'm fine with leaving things as they are. What I'm strongly opposed to is the screwy idea of permanent standard time.
Please write testimony 2-13-24, "No" on SB 1548. I will testify in person Tuesday. Since this bill affects every Oregonian every day, it should never have been brought forth in this short session.
Posted by: Aileen Kaye | February 12, 2024 at 11:48 PM