An image of a clock is displayed beside a list of bills under consideration at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on the last night of the legislative session, Friday, March 1, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
The first time Toquerville Republican Rep. Joseph Elison presented HB120, a bill that would stop Utahns from changing their clocks back and forth twice a year, to the House floor, time ran short to accommodate all of the comments from his colleagues. On Wednesday afternoon, when he was able to bring the discussion back, he did it with a hint of humor.
“This is such a good bill,” he said, while many in the chamber laughed.
While the discussion was lighthearted, many representatives had strong opinions on why they supported or opposed the legislation. Ultimately, the House voted 52-23 to approve the bill and send it to the Senate for its consideration.
It was a vote that didn’t follow party lines. Members of both the Republican and Democratic caucus leadership split into what would normally be odd groups.
The issue has been controversial for years, with other lawmakers attempting to establish a change if the federal government decided to stick with either standard time or daylight saving time year-round.
But, Elison emphasized again, this bill doesn’t present a question on which time setting is best. Under his bill, beginning in 2026, Utah’s time would remain on Mountain Standard Time at all times, no matter the season.
Observing standard time is the only route the state government can take to stop the clocks from changing. That’s what Arizona and Hawaii currently do. However, HB120 directs the state to switch to daylight saving time, the time used in the summer when residents advance their clocks by one hour, if the federal government takes action to make that the default.
“What this bill does is it says, until such time, we do have control over, as a body, to stop our clocks from moving backward and forward each year,” Elison said.
Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, quickly rose in support of the legislation, citing the experience of his daughter who has special needs.
“She doesn’t understand what this bill is about, but the one thing that she understands is when we change the clock twice a year, it messes her schedule up,” Eliason said. “And it sometimes takes weeks to adjust.”
From a health perspective, the benefits of a steady time, especially for children and people with special needs, far outweigh the perks of a little extra time of sunshine in the summer, Eliason said.
Some opponents argued that while constituents have asked for years to eliminate the time change, it would have repercussions they aren’t able to see now.
Rep. Scott Chew, R-Jensen, warned lawmakers to be careful with what they wish for, remembering the times when an energy crisis pushed the government to adopt daylight saving time year-round in the ’70s. But, the change didn’t really help save energy then, and, after public outcry, the government switched back to standard time.
“Experience is the best teacher,” Chew said. “That is why we don’t touch a hot pot a second time, and why we don’t walk behind a horse because somebody else got kicked and they told us about it.”
Others argued the bill could be “devastating” for sports in the state, since it would limit the timeframe of outside activities during spring and fall.
“I think that light in the evening for certainly sports, yards, camping and events, and things like that is vital, and I think we should keep it,” said Rep. Mark Strong, R-Bluffdale. “So those of you that are voting for this bill just because you think that’s what your constituents are telling you, maybe should gather a little courage and do the right thing and vote in opposition to this bill.”
Despite clock ticking on the debate, the bill isn’t a waste of time, Elison said.
“We were all elected, in my opinion, by very competent voters. I think people know exactly what this means,” he said. “I think people have been living like this for decades. They know exactly what it means to be on Mountain Time. If they don’t understand, they can look at our neighbor to the south, Arizona. They do it perfectly fine.”
In fact, Elison said, on a regular June 21, Salt Lake City has 44 more minutes of sunlight than Phoenix, Arizona.
Issues like the timeframe to play varsity games could be solved by adjusting schedules by an hour, Elison said. And, he added, he isn’t a fan of the idea of leaving it up to Congress to pass a law to control the time setting, because the federal government has delayed action on the issue for years.
“You want to talk about courage. I look at all the moms and all these parents of autistic kids, struggling kids, blacking out their windows at nighttime. There’s all these arguments back and forth,” Elison said. “Courage is people who live with this every day and continue to come up here and ask us to change this law, and we don’t.”
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