Wyoming Lawmakers To Again Consider Doing Away With Time Change
The Wyoming Legislature will once again consider a bill that could eventually do away with the twice-a-year time change in the Cowboy State.
House Bill 44 would move Wyoming to Daylight Savings Time year-round. The bill would only take effect if states surrounding Wyoming made the same move. Even then, the federal government would have to agree to the change.
The Bill is being sponsored by Rep. Dan Laursen [R-Powell]. While this will be the fifth-straight year a bill to eliminate the time change has been put forward in the legislature. the proposal came very close to being approved in 2019, passing the House by a 35-21 vote and losing on a 15-15 tie vote in the state Senate.
In the Senate vote last year, opponents who were fearful that the proposal might pass on a reconsideration vote in the days following the defeat motioned for an immediate reconsideration vote so that supporters would not have time to lobby Senators for the one vote that would have been needed to approve the measure and send it to the governor.
Moves to eliminate the time change have been gaining momentum across the country in recent years, with over half of the states having taken up some form of legislation to do away with the clock change. That included over a dozen states last year alone.
Supporters of eliminating the time change point to increased accident rates and lower productivity in the days surrounding the time changes. They also argue that the changes are an outdated tradition that serves no useful purpose in today's world. Opponents claim the tradition is one that most people have gotten used to and argue that it is good for agriculture. They also claim it saves energy.
The assertions about helping farmers and saving energy are disputed by many of those who don't like the time changes, however.