03/16/2009 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

HJR 20-REPEAL FEDERAL DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:32:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR OLSON  announced that the  next order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 20,  Urging the United States Congress                                                               
to end daylight saving time.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:32:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   ANNA  FAIRCLOUGH,   Alaska  State   Legislature,                                                               
speaking as  a joint sponsor  of HJR  20, stated that  her staff,                                                               
Crystal  Koeneman  would provide  a  history  of daylight  saving                                                               
time.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CRYSTAL KOENEMAN,  Staff, Representative Anna  Fairclough, Alaska                                                               
State Legislature,  speaking on  behalf of  the prime  sponsor of                                                               
HJR 20, Representative Anna  Fairclough, provided a chronological                                                               
history  of  daylight  saving  time.    She  explained  that  the                                                               
Standard Time Act was established  in 1918, which established the                                                               
observance of  daylight saving  time.  The  act was  repealed the                                                               
next  year   and  daylight   saving  time   was  left   to  local                                                               
jurisdictions.   The  Congress,  in an  effort  to conserve  fuel                                                               
resources by  reducing the need  to produce electrical  power for                                                               
artificial lighting,  placed the country on  daylight saving time                                                               
during  World War  I.   The Congress  reinstated daylight  saving                                                               
time from 1942  - 1945 during World  War II.  From  1945 to 1966,                                                               
no  federal  law  applied  and states  could  decide  whether  to                                                               
observe daylight  saving time.   The Congress passed  the Uniform                                                               
Time Act  of 1966, which  set daylight  saving time to  begin the                                                               
last Sunday  of April  and end  on last Sunday  of October.   She                                                               
mentioned that  any state  or locality  could exempt  itself from                                                               
daylight saving  time.  In 1986  the Act was amended  to begin on                                                               
the first Sunday  in April.  Following the 1973  oil embargo, the                                                               
Congress placed  most of the  nation on extended  daylight saving                                                               
time in an  effort to conserve energy, such  that daylight saving                                                               
time was  in place  for 10  months in  1974 and  for 8  months in                                                               
1975.   Due to  public opposition  to the  late sunrise  times in                                                               
winter month,  daylight saving  time was  discontinued.   In 1976                                                               
the nation  reverted back to  the Uniform Time  Act of 1966.   In                                                               
March 2007, daylight saving time  was extended an additional four                                                               
to five weeks, beginning on the  second Sunday of March until the                                                               
first Sunday of November.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:36:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  FAIRCLOUGH offered  that  the  issue of  daylight                                                               
saving time can be addressed in  multiple ways.  She related that                                                               
since  2007,  she  has  received   multiple  requests  to  repeal                                                               
daylight  saving time  in Alaska.    She explained  that one  big                                                               
issue  is consistency  with time  in  Lower-48.   Thus, those  in                                                               
opposition  to  the  repeal  believe  that  it  is  important  to                                                               
maintain  communications   with  rest   of  the  nation.     This                                                               
resolution would allow Alaska to  take steps in that direction to                                                               
discuss   the  issue   with   the   Congress  and   organizations                                                               
nationwide.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:37:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  OLSON asked  if  daylight saving  time  is repealed,  that                                                               
Alaska would be the second state to do so.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH  disagreed.  She  referred to a  map in                                                               
members' packets of the northern  hemisphere, which she opined is                                                               
lagging  behind  the rest  of  the  globe.   Some  countries  are                                                               
migrating off DST to Greenwich Mean  Time, which is also the same                                                               
time as the  Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).   She offered that                                                               
Canada is currently discussing repealing  DST, with one province,                                                               
Saskatchewan  that  has  repealed   DST.    She  mentioned  other                                                               
countries such as  Mexico and most of the Asian  markets that are                                                               
still discussing  repeal.   She mentioned that  Hawaii is  not on                                                               
DST,  and  Indiana is  attempting  to  leave DST,  since  someone                                                               
discovered that it actually cost money to comply with DST.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN  inquired as to whether  Indiana has repealed                                                               
DST.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH  related that  Indiana is  currently on                                                               
DST,  but a  recent study  indicated that  costs were  associated                                                               
with DST.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:39:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HOLMES inquired as  to whether Alaska is currently                                                               
on DST.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH  answered that  Alaska is  currently on                                                               
DST as of March  8, 2009.  She explained that  HJR 20 presents an                                                               
opportunity for Alaska to engage  in discussions nationally about                                                               
the  health  consequences  and the  business  climates  that  are                                                               
affected by DST.  She further  explained that it takes 10 days in                                                               
Nome to  recoup an hour,  in Anchorage it  takes 12 days,  and in                                                               
Juneau it takes 13 days.  Thus,  the value of DST evaporates in a                                                               
little over a week.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:40:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HOLMES  inquired  as   to  whether  any  cost  to                                                               
companies is  associated with  eliminating DST,  specifically for                                                               
changing time clocks on computers.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH responded that  a universal patch could                                                               
be  developed  on  a  one-time  basis for  items  such  as  video                                                               
surveillance, cell  phones, and other technology.   She mentioned                                                               
it would  be a  cost savings for  statewide computers  since only                                                               
one   adjustment   is   necessary.     Currently,   systems   are                                                               
reprogrammed  twice  a  year.     She  stated  that  the  state's                                                               
technology group believes that it  would save money to repeal the                                                               
DST.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:42:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ALBERT JUDSON stated  that he grew up as  a commercial fisherman.                                                               
He offered his  belief that DST enhances  fishing since fishermen                                                               
use  daylight  hours to  run  to  the  fishing grounds,  and  the                                                               
regulatory  agencies such  as Alaska  Department of  Fish &  Game                                                               
(ADF&G)  use  specific  hours  to   determine  the  openings  and                                                               
closings.  He offered his opposition to HJR 20 and HB 19.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CHENAULT  related that  since  ADF&G  is using  a                                                               
clock, that  it should not  make any difference whether  the time                                                               
is Alaska Standard Time or DST.  He asked for clarification.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. JUDSON  offered his belief  that DST affects  people involved                                                               
in subsistence fishing since the daylight parallels the clock.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:46:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN also  stated that he did not  understand.  He                                                               
inquired as to how fishing an  hour earlier or later would affect                                                               
fish runs.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR.  JUDSON  related that  during  DST,  the  time on  the  clock                                                               
parallels dusk and  dawn.  He offered his  belief that fishermen,                                                               
especially  subsistence  fishermen  should be  questioned  before                                                               
abolishing DST.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:48:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JEFFREY PASCO  commented that  he has not  fished for  some time,                                                               
but  recalled  that  he  used  tides and  daylight  when  he  was                                                               
fishing.  He expressed concern for  health and safety issues.  He                                                               
related that the  change to DST affects drivers, and  in a recent                                                               
drive  from Soldotna  to Anchorage  that  he drove  in the  dark.                                                               
However, if  the DST did not  go into effect, that  he would have                                                               
had daylight for  his morning drive.   Additionally, commuters in                                                               
Alaska must  traverse regions  populated with  moose.   Thus, the                                                               
change  to DST  creates hazards.   He  opined that  repealing DST                                                               
would allow  Alaskan to drive to/from  work in the daylight.   He                                                               
mentioned that  students and drivers  are sleep deprived  for the                                                               
several weeks  that it takes  to adjust to  the time change.   He                                                               
opined that DST does not make sense in Alaska.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:50:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
HENRY NOVAK  stated that he  was born and  raised in Alaska.   He                                                               
recalled when  Alaska had five time  zones.  He related  that the                                                               
DST "screws  him up for about  three weeks every time  we go back                                                               
and forth."   He  suggested that  the time  should be  left alone                                                               
year round,  although he did not  care if it was  Alaska Standard                                                               
Time or DST, just that it should remain the same year round.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  OLSON,  after first  determining  no  one else  wished  to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony on HJR 20.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:52:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  NEUMAN  moved  to  report  HJR  20,  labeled  26-                                                               
LS0501\R  out of  committee with  individual recommendations  and                                                               
the accompanying fiscal note.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There  being no  objection, HJR  20 was  reported from  the House                                                               
Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:53:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:53 p.m. to 3:55 p.m.