(The Center Square) - A bill that would establish daylight saving time year-round in Oklahoma received a do-pass recommendation from the Senate General Government Committee, but the measure needs help from Congress and the president for it to take effect.
Sen. Blake Stephens, R-Tahlequah, told committee members he wanted to "stop the clock" when daylight saving time begins on March 12.
"There is a spike in heart attacks, in strokes and fatal car accidents every time we change the clock; whether we are going forward or backward, it's a fact," Stephens told the committee when explaining his bill.
If the bill is approved, Oklahomans would have an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day. The bill would impact the economy since fewer people go out at night, Stephens told the committee.
Sen. Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, said she had seen research recommending staying with standard time permanently.
"We are on a battleground. We've got to make sure we get this thing right," Stephens said. "By stopping the clock on standard time, you're not talking about changing our clocks for four months. You're talking about changing our clocks on something we've never done before."
Sen. Cody Rogers said the bill would hurt his business.
"As a guy that pours concrete in the morning, I would lose an hour," Rodgers said. "It will cost me money."
The committee gave the bill a do-pass recommendation by a vote of 8-2.
The bill needs approval from the full House and Senate to become law. But the bill could not take effect until Congress passed a bill that permanently established daylight saving time.
The Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 passed the Senate in March 2022 but was never approved by the House.
Nineteen states passed resolutions on enacted legislation supporting year-round daylight saving time, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Arizona and Hawaii observe standard time all year.
via Oklahoma's Center Square News