Michigan – A new bill presented in the Michigan Senate last week aims to stop changing the clocks twice a year for Daylight Saving Time (DST). State Senator Thomas Albert (R-Lowell) introduced Senate Bill 770, which would allow people to decide in November if the state should keep moving the clocks forward and backward every year.
Daylight Saving Time has been a subject of debate and adjustment over the years. In 1968, Michigan lawmakers said no to DST, but four years later, in 1972, they agreed to it again. Michigan residents changed their clocks again last weekend, as they have been doing for a long time. However, the question of its necessity and impact remains.
Senator Albert’s motivation for introducing the bill stems from a desire to revisit the rationale behind DST, a policy that has been in place nationally for over a century.
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“It has been more than 100 years since our nation first experimented with daylight saving time, and we find ourselves still asking the same question: Why do we do this?” Albert said. “I, for one, cannot find a valid reason. It seems to me that changing our clocks twice a year is a poor and unnecessary policy. But I know opinions differ, and daylight saving time affects every Michigander in some way. That is why I propose putting this to a vote of the people.”
If the bill is passed, it will not only question whether or not Daylight Saving Time should continue, but it will also suggest that Michigan stay on standard time all year if the practice is stopped.
Senate Bill 770, which was introduced on March 7, has been sent to the Senate Committee on Government Operations to be looked over further. Its progress through the legislature and possible placement on the November 2024 ballot marks a turning point for Michigan, giving its people a direct say in the issue.
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The upcoming choices and discussions regarding this bill will definitely start up conversations all over the state about Daylight Saving Time again and what it means and what the future holds for it. Senator Albert says that the practice affects all Michiganders in some way. This means that it is a good topic for discussion, and the final decision should be made by the majority of Michiganders.