HB 30-OBSERVE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ALL YEAR  8:26:18 AM CHAIR MCCORMICK announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 30, "An Act relating to daylight saving time; and providing for an effective date." 8:26:39 AM REPRESENTATIVE DAN ORTIZ, Alaska State Legislature, as prime sponsor, gave an overview of HB 30. He addressed an unanswered question Representative McCabe had asked at the previous committee hearing, noting where daylight saving time (DST) is observed in other countries and stating that in New York there are seven bills related to this topic. He reminded the committee that if Alaska were to adopt standard time, it would put Alaska on a two-hour difference from western states. 8:29:58 AM CHAIR MCCORMICK opened public testimony on HB 30. 8:30:25 AM TOM WILLIAMS, Financial Officer, Ward Air, testified in support of HB 30. He discussed the benefits of adopting DST year-round. He said that while total daylight time wouldn't change, it would only change the time for four months in the year, avoid inflicting economic damage to the visitor industry in Alaska, avoid reducing outdoor recreational opportunities during the spring and fall, add an hour of daylight after school hours during the winter, reduce the time zone difference between Alaska and the east coast financial markets to three hours instead of four during the winter, and provide an economic benefit with the later daylight hours during the winter months. He said the significant impact HB 30 would have on the economy and the general health of the public far outweighs the benefit of eliminating the twice per year time change that has been law for decades. He urged the committee to pass HB 30 with "do pass" recommendations. 8:33:22 AM REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked how DST is beneficial for tourists. MR. WILLIAMS explained that during the summertime there is a lot of light hours in the evening, providing ample time for recreational opportunities during that time. He said in the winter, certain flight operations could provide better service to those who want to leave later in the morning and return later in the evening. 8:35:05 AM JAY PEA, President, Save Standard Time, testified in opposition to HB 30. He said Save Standard Time would prefer to make standard time permanent, as having permanent DST extend into winter is not desirable. He gave a list of possible effects of permanent DST, saying it would force earlier waking times, significantly increase car accidents and depression rates, all of which he said create an unnecessary risk to public safety. He said that based on a number of studies, standard time is more closely reflective of the sun and comes with numerous health and social benefits. He named several states and countries which have adopted permanent standard time and gave evidence of how that positively impacted the health and well-being of the people of those places. He argued that permanent DST would not lower crime rates, but actually increase crime rates per a study by the European Union considering permanent standard time. 8:39:20 AM REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked whether any studies on the effects of DST have taken Alaska into account specifically. MR. PEA said none were specific to Alaska, but Russia tried permanent DST for three years before reversing that decision and going to permanent standard time after determining that DST was the cause of a significant increase in car crashes and depression. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked where she could find the Russian study Mr. Pea had mentioned. MR. PEA cited Boris Enkov's 2016 study titled "Seven Year Survey of Sleep Timing in Russian Children in Adolescence" and offered to email studies to the committee. 8:40:57 AM REPRESENTATIVE MEARS said she appreciated any research or science specifically related to Alaska, because the impacts of such a decision would not be uniform across the state due to its size. 8:42:10 AM CHAIR MCCORMICK, after ascertaining there was no one else who wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 30. 8:42:15 AM The committee took an at-ease from 8:42 a.m. to 8:43 a.m. 8:43:17 AM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE moved to report HB 30 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE objected. 8:43:40 AM REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE said he is okay with allowing the bill to pass, but he is not convinced that DST is the appropriate time for the entire state of Alaska. He said that the citizens who live here should be prioritized, not tourists or operators within those industries. He expressed his "deep reservations and concerns" related to DST but said he would remain a "yes" vote. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE said he was in favor of keeping standard time if we were to eliminate the current twice per year time switch. He cited a decade worth of information related to fatigue risk management studies in the airline pilot industry and said it would be a mistake for Alaska to adopt permanent DST. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT said she doesn't have a firm sense of which time system is better than the other, she just wants to choose one or the other. REPRESENATIVE BAKER commented that he is okay with moving HB 30 out of committee but is apprehensive about uniform DST because of the potential for harm to northern communities that receive very little light in the winter. CHAIR MCCORMICK said he is in agreement with his colleagues and acknowledged that the twice per year time change needs to be eliminated. 8:48:12 AM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE removed his objection. 8:48:23 AM REPRESENTATIVE MEARS objected for the purpose of discussion. REPRESENTATIVE MEARS said she got the sense from the discussion that standard time is the correct way to move forward and asked whether changes should be made to HB 30 before moving it out of committee. REPRESENTATIVE MCCORMICK reminded committee members that an amendment deadline for HB 30 had passed. REPRESENTATIVE MEARS removed her objection. There being no further objection, HB 30 was reported from the House Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee.