(The Center Square) – Another bill that’s passed the Texas legislature and headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk would ban biannual clock changes, in line with President Donald Trump’s call to do so on a national level.
The bill was sent to the governor after it passed the legislature with bipartisan support.
HB 1393, filed by state Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, amends state government code to eliminate biannual clock changes in Texas and allow Texas to observe Daylight Saving Time year-round, pending federal authorization. Under current federal law, states may opt out of DST but can’t do so independently year-round.
If signed into law, it wouldn’t go into effect until Congress enacts a law authorizing Texas and all 50 states to observe DST year-round.
“For decades, Texans have adjusted their clocks twice a year to comply with the federal Uniform Time Act, moving forward in the spring and back in the fall. However, this practice has come under increasing scrutiny due to studies linking time changes to health issues, sleep disruption, increased traffic accidents, and decreased workplace productivity. Many Texans and lawmakers believe that maintaining a single, consistent time year-round would reduce confusion, enhance safety, and improve quality of life,” an analysis of Metcalf’s bill says.
Under the Uniform Time Act of 1966, states may exempt themselves from observing DST but can’t choose to be on permanent DST. All time zones in the U.S. (Atlantic, eastern, central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaska, Hawaii–Aleutian, Samoa, and Chamorro) are overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation because time standards are imperative for transportation, it says.
Texas has two time zones, central and mountain, with the vast majority of the state on central. The two westernmost counties of El Paso and Hudspeth are in the mountain time zone.
The bill “positions Texas to act swiftly and decisively if Congress grants that authority. By declaring a uniform time standard – ‘Texas Time’ – this bill ensures both the central and mountain time regions of the state would operate under a single, consistent system, enhancing statewide coordination and stability. The bill reflects Texas’s commitment to reducing unnecessary government mandates and aligning state law with common-sense reforms supported by a majority of the public,” the bill analysis explains.
The Republican Party of Texas opposes the measure. Its platform Plank 206 states, “Texas should no longer participate in Daylight Savings Time.”
The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 26-5 with some Republicans and Democrats voting against it: Eckhardt, Johnson, Middleton, Paxton and Schwertner.
The House passed it by a vote of 133-11, with some Republicans and Democrats also voting against it: Cain; Collier; Goodwin; Hayes; Jones, V.; Little; Meza; Noble; Oliverson; Romero and Rose. Reps. Alders and Luther voted “present, not voting.”
Republican Reps. Cain, Hayes and Little submitted a statement for the record saying they voted against it because it conflicts with the RPT Plank 206.
Last year, Trump said the national Republican Party “will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation.”
In April, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, held a hearing advocating for the need to end biennial clock changes. In the hearing, “If I Could Turn Back Time: Should We Lock the Clock?” he discussed how DST impacts the American economy, health, and everyday life.
“DST was once believed to be a wartime effort to reduce energy consumption in the evenings but energy efficiency and advances in technology show zero cost-savings,” he said. Changing clocks twice a year “disrupts people’s sleep patterns and can lead to increased risks of health problems,” and impacts economic activity, he said.
He also called on Congress “to end the antiquated and harmful practice” and make standard time or DST year-round.
After the hearing, Trump called on Congress to eliminate biennial clock changes, saying changing the clocks was very costly for taxpayers and the federal government.
So far, Arizona and Hawaii have opted out of biennial clock changes; several countries have as well.
