Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124
04/16/2024 08:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB30 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 30 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
HB 30-OBSERVE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ALL YEAR
8:02:55 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK announced that the only order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 30, "An Act relating to daylight saving time;
and providing for an effective date."
8:03:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE DAN ORTIZ, Alaska State Legislature, as prime
sponsor, provided a summary of HB 30. He paraphrased the
sponsor statement [included in the committee packet], which read
as follows [original punctuation provided]:
House Bill 30 establishes Daylight Saving Time (DST)
as the official time for the State of Alaska year-
round, subject to the authorization of federal law.
DST is observed between the second Sunday of March and
the first Sunday of November. Adoption of this
legislation is the first step. To fully implement the
change to full-time DST, action by the United States
Congress is required. Congress will need to amend
federal law to allow states to observe DST throughout
the calendar year.
Nationally, the initiative to change to full-time DST
is gaining traction. As of March 2022, 18 states have
enacted DST legislation. In 2022 alone, 28 states are
considering DST legislation. On the west coast,
California voters authorized the change pending
legislation and in 2019, both Washington and Oregon
passed legislation similar to HB30. Our Canadian
neighbors have also taken steps to move to full-time
DST. British Columbia passed legislation to implement
full-time DST contingent on the U.S. west coast also
implementing it. Yukon began full-time DST on March 8,
2020.
Because of our close economic and geographic ties to
the U.S. and Canadian west coasts, Alaska can
avoid being 'left in the dark' by passing HB30.
8:06:45 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT inquired about the changes in federal
law that would be required.
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ said attempts at passing this type of
legislation is always contingent on congress giving final
approval.
8:07:52 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK questioned the original purpose of Daylight
Saving Time (DST).
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ shared his understanding that because the
workforce was largely agricultural, DST was an attempt to help
farmers by lengthening the time spent in the field. He said
there may have been military implications as well.
CHAIR MCCORMICK said it's his understanding that it was less
about agriculture and more about the rationing of resources for
World War II.
8:09:45 AM
REPRESENATIVE BAKER asked why, in reference to the higher rate
of robberies and car crashes, people are "bad" on standard time.
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ said studies show that more daylight in the
evenings is less likely to attract burglars because it's harder
to be discreet. Theoretically, he said, it would limit the time
when bad things can happen.
8:11:16 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE shared his understanding that in
Anchorage, [DST] would delay sunrise until 11:15 a.m.
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ answered yes. He acknowledged that this
change would not be as conducive to Western Alaska where there
is already a late sunrise in the winter.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE recalled when Alaska had five time zones.
He asked whether the bill would put Alaska in line with the rest
of the U.S.
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ reiterated that the bill if passed would
still require congressional approval. He explained that the
bill is in response to the broad support for not changing the
clocks, and it seems that most states on the West Coast are
moving in the direction of maintaining DST. He said one
particular benefit of remaining on DST all year long is to have
one extra hour of light in the evening, which is advantageous
for the tourism industry.
8:15:36 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY referred to the New York Stock Exchange and
asked whether New York is making the switch.
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ did not know the answer. He explained that
if this change were made in Alaska, there would be a three-hour
time difference in New York for part of the year and a four-hour
difference for the other part.
CHAIR MCCORMICK reflected on living in Hawaii where there is a
similar time difference for part of the year.
8:18:03 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked whether federal action could
solve this for everyone.
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ said the federal government may have the
power but there's no desire to make a unilateral decision. He
recalled that the U.S. Senate took action in support of DST last
year to authorize those states that wanted to stay on DST;
however, it was never enacted because the U.S. House never took
up the issue.
CHAIR MCCORMICK sought closing comments from the bill sponsor.
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ stated that moving the bill out of
committee would be the first step on a long road. He shared his
belief that there is strong public interest in not changing the
clocks from spring to fall; however, there is still a debate on
DST versus Standard Time. He reiterated that the bill would
support the actions that other West Coast states are taking.
8:21:45 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK announced that HB 30 would be held over.