Area lawmakers disagree on permanent daylight saving time

With daylight saving time returning at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 12, two Missouri House bills are under consideration to make DST permanent.

House Bill 157 is sponsored by Rep. Michael O'Donnell of St. Louis, while a similar measure, House Bill 265, is the handiwork of Rep. Chris Sander of Lone Jack, Missouri, in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Opinions among area GOP state lawmakers who responded via text to a request for comment from the Southeast Missourian on the issue run the complete spectrum — for, against and undecided.

For

John Voss

John Voss

John Voss, in his first-term as District 147 representative for Cape Girardeau, gives the idea of a year-round DST a thumbs-up.

"I believe our circadian rhythms have more impact on well-being than previously thought. I believe HB 157 and HB 265 are basically the same bill. I support both to make Daylight Saving as the new permanent standard time," Voss said.

Against

Barry Hovis

Barry Hovis

Barry Hovis of Whitewater, representing District 146, is opposed on financial grounds.

"I do not support moving to full time DST and would prefer we stay on standard time. DST does not save as much energy as we thought it would when originally implemented, a conclusion supported by a couple of studies I've seen," Hovis said, referring to a 2008 National Bureau of Economic Research article suggesting "there is surprisingly little evidence DST actually saves energy," adding, DST's seminal purpose was to promote energy conservation.

Rick Francis

Rick Francis

Rick Francis of Perryville's District 145 concurs but offers a different rationale for his opposition.

"Most constituents I've spoken to want to do away with DST," Francis said, noting permanent DST would mean losing an hour of daylight in the morning from November through February.

"On the first day of winter, sunrise in the Midwest would be delayed until 8:30 a.m.," he added.

Undecided

Jamie Burger

Jamie Burger

Jamie Burger, whose District 148 represents Scott County and is assistant majority floor leader in the House, is taking a wait-and-see approach.

"I don't have a strong opinion either way. I'll base my vote on committee and floor debate and constituent outreach," he said.

A Washington perspective

On Thursday, March 2, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senate members introduced legislation to make DST permanent, nearly a year after the same body voted without objection to end the twice-annual changing of the clock. The proposed 2022 measure failed in the U.S. House as lawmakers could not agree whether to keep standard time or make daylight saving time permanent.

Florida's Rick Scott was among the dozen lawmakers in the Senate sponsoring the new year-round DST bill.

"Changing the clock twice a year is outdated and unnecessary," Scott told Reuters. "We need to get (this bill) all the way over the finish line this time. It's time for Congress to act and pass this good bill today."