What time is it?
10/03/23 02:04
The annual spring ahead into daylight savings time is always a bit of a challenge for churches. Because the official time to change clocks is 2 am on Sunday, it seems that there are always a few church members who forget and show up for worship late. This is a smaller issues these days with all of the smart phone and watches that automatically change at the appropriate time.
At our weekly staff meeting at the church last week, there was confusion about the annual switch. Last year the Sunshine Protection Act was introduced in the United States Senate last year. The bill would have made daylight savings time permanent. The bill passed by a unanimous vote in the Senate, but the House of Representatives failed to act on the bill. So, we all switched back to standard time last November and will switch back to daylight savings Time on Sunday. Well, not all of us - Hawaii and Arizona do not observe daylight savings time. Well, not quite all of Arizona - the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona does observe daylight savings time. It can be a bit of a problem knowing what time it is in Arizona.
To add to the confusion, federal law allows states to unilaterally move to standard time. A move to permanent daylight savings time, however requires approval of Congress. Seventeen states, including Washington, where we live, passed legislation making daylight savings permanent last year. However those changes cannot take place until Congress acts. Proposed bills in an additional 23 states would make the majority of states adopting permanent daylight savings time. However, in keeping with the confusion over time zones, 15 states have bills pending that would make standard time the permanent time.
The result is that it is not easy to know what will come after most of us, except those living in Hawaii and parts of Arizona, switch our clocks this Sunday. The Sunshine Protection Act has been reintroduced in both the US Senate and House of Representatives. If the Act is passed by both chambers and signed by the President, most states would remain on daylight savings time and would no longer need to change clocks. Some states, however, might choose standard time as their permanent time and would change their clocks in November before ceasing the practice.
I am confused enough that I had to look up the details on Axios to write this journal entry.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that the switch to daylight savings time “carries many health and accident risks and is misaligned with human circadian biology.” Numerous studies have indicated that children have trouble adjusting to the change in sleep schedules. A study in the journal Current Biology predicts that year-round daylight saving time could prevent 36,550 deer deaths, 33 human deaths, 2,054 human injuries and $1.19 billion in collision costs annually.
There certainly seems to be agreement among my friends and colleagues that we’d like to stop changing our clocks. Most of those with whom I speak don’t really care whether we settle on standard time or daylight savings time, but would simply like to abandon the practice of changing our clocks. According to a YouGov poll, more than two-thirds of Americans agree with us about wanting to stop changing clocks. However, there is some disagreement about whether the permanent time should be standard time or daylight savings time. With bills pending in 15 states for standard time and Hawaii and Arizona already opting for standard time, it remains to be seen what effect the Sunshine Protection Act would have in those states. Potentially, people on road trips across the country might have to change their clocks depending on which state they are entering. Of course we already have four time zones in the continental United States plus Alaska Standard Time and Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time, so changing clocks when traveling within the United States already is part of our practice.
I guess things are a bit less confusing. Alaska used to have four time zones in one state, but in 1983 adopted a standard time for most of the state, just one hour behind Pacific Time, except for the far reaches of the Aleutian Islands and St. Lawrence Island.
The bottom line, for the conversation we had at the church office is that we will be springing forward on Sunday and it is unclear whether or not we will have to fall back when November rolls around. You would think with over two-thirds of the citizens of the nation wanting to stop changing time zones, passage of the Sunshine Protection Act in the US congress would be a sure thing. After all the bill passed unanimously in the Senate last year, one of very few bills to get such a vote. The politics of the House simply not acting on the legislation may leave action on the bill on Kevin McCarthy’s desk, and frankly there is no guessing what he will do with all of the compromises and deals he had to make just to get elected Speaker of the House. The answer to whether or not we will fall back seems to be murky at best.
I have rather unusual sleep patterns, and the result is that the change of clocks doesn’t seem to bother me very much. It really doesn’t make much of a difference to me. I am, however, subject to jet lag when we make big trips. Traveling across the US to South Carolina, a trip of four time zones, doesn’t seem to bother me much. On the other hand, our trips to Europe and Japan have resulted in a few days of disrupted sleep patterns for me. I think the politics of time zones is a bit silly and am vaguely amused that the US Congress can take devote so much time and energy in basically doing nothing while there are other issues that deserve immediate action. Addressing the housing crisis would have more benefit than messing with time, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for meaningful legislation on that front either.
Meanwhile the chickens at the farm don’t seem to pay any attention to the clocks. They seem to enjoy sleeping more in the winter and less in the summer. Sunday will be a breeze for them.
At our weekly staff meeting at the church last week, there was confusion about the annual switch. Last year the Sunshine Protection Act was introduced in the United States Senate last year. The bill would have made daylight savings time permanent. The bill passed by a unanimous vote in the Senate, but the House of Representatives failed to act on the bill. So, we all switched back to standard time last November and will switch back to daylight savings Time on Sunday. Well, not all of us - Hawaii and Arizona do not observe daylight savings time. Well, not quite all of Arizona - the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona does observe daylight savings time. It can be a bit of a problem knowing what time it is in Arizona.
To add to the confusion, federal law allows states to unilaterally move to standard time. A move to permanent daylight savings time, however requires approval of Congress. Seventeen states, including Washington, where we live, passed legislation making daylight savings permanent last year. However those changes cannot take place until Congress acts. Proposed bills in an additional 23 states would make the majority of states adopting permanent daylight savings time. However, in keeping with the confusion over time zones, 15 states have bills pending that would make standard time the permanent time.
The result is that it is not easy to know what will come after most of us, except those living in Hawaii and parts of Arizona, switch our clocks this Sunday. The Sunshine Protection Act has been reintroduced in both the US Senate and House of Representatives. If the Act is passed by both chambers and signed by the President, most states would remain on daylight savings time and would no longer need to change clocks. Some states, however, might choose standard time as their permanent time and would change their clocks in November before ceasing the practice.
I am confused enough that I had to look up the details on Axios to write this journal entry.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that the switch to daylight savings time “carries many health and accident risks and is misaligned with human circadian biology.” Numerous studies have indicated that children have trouble adjusting to the change in sleep schedules. A study in the journal Current Biology predicts that year-round daylight saving time could prevent 36,550 deer deaths, 33 human deaths, 2,054 human injuries and $1.19 billion in collision costs annually.
There certainly seems to be agreement among my friends and colleagues that we’d like to stop changing our clocks. Most of those with whom I speak don’t really care whether we settle on standard time or daylight savings time, but would simply like to abandon the practice of changing our clocks. According to a YouGov poll, more than two-thirds of Americans agree with us about wanting to stop changing clocks. However, there is some disagreement about whether the permanent time should be standard time or daylight savings time. With bills pending in 15 states for standard time and Hawaii and Arizona already opting for standard time, it remains to be seen what effect the Sunshine Protection Act would have in those states. Potentially, people on road trips across the country might have to change their clocks depending on which state they are entering. Of course we already have four time zones in the continental United States plus Alaska Standard Time and Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time, so changing clocks when traveling within the United States already is part of our practice.
I guess things are a bit less confusing. Alaska used to have four time zones in one state, but in 1983 adopted a standard time for most of the state, just one hour behind Pacific Time, except for the far reaches of the Aleutian Islands and St. Lawrence Island.
The bottom line, for the conversation we had at the church office is that we will be springing forward on Sunday and it is unclear whether or not we will have to fall back when November rolls around. You would think with over two-thirds of the citizens of the nation wanting to stop changing time zones, passage of the Sunshine Protection Act in the US congress would be a sure thing. After all the bill passed unanimously in the Senate last year, one of very few bills to get such a vote. The politics of the House simply not acting on the legislation may leave action on the bill on Kevin McCarthy’s desk, and frankly there is no guessing what he will do with all of the compromises and deals he had to make just to get elected Speaker of the House. The answer to whether or not we will fall back seems to be murky at best.
I have rather unusual sleep patterns, and the result is that the change of clocks doesn’t seem to bother me very much. It really doesn’t make much of a difference to me. I am, however, subject to jet lag when we make big trips. Traveling across the US to South Carolina, a trip of four time zones, doesn’t seem to bother me much. On the other hand, our trips to Europe and Japan have resulted in a few days of disrupted sleep patterns for me. I think the politics of time zones is a bit silly and am vaguely amused that the US Congress can take devote so much time and energy in basically doing nothing while there are other issues that deserve immediate action. Addressing the housing crisis would have more benefit than messing with time, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for meaningful legislation on that front either.
Meanwhile the chickens at the farm don’t seem to pay any attention to the clocks. They seem to enjoy sleeping more in the winter and less in the summer. Sunday will be a breeze for them.
