Clock is ticking on plan to end daylight-saving time in Texas

Could next month be the last time Texans have to change their clocks for daylight-saving time?

If state Rep. Dan Flynn has his way, it will be.

Flynn, R-Van, filed a bill to once and for all put an end to daylight-saving time in Texas — and finally leave all the clocks in Texas alone.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” Flynn said. “I see no reason to have it.

“It’s just one of those things.”

But time might be running out for Flynn’s proposal, which has prompted tens of thousands of Texans to text, call, email and write his office in support of his bill.

Since being named chair of the House Pensions Committee, Flynn said he needs to focus on the weighty issues facing the committee, rather than focusing on other high-interest issues such as exempting Texas from daylight-saving time.

He said several other lawmakers have said they are interested in the bill and he’s hoping one will pick it up and run with it in the House. He said he will help any way he can.

“This is one of those things that everyone has an opinion on,” Flynn said. “When you have so many people responding, you have to react.”

One problem, he said, is that Texans appear divided on whether they want to “spring forward” or “fall back” permanently. So that’s one issue he said another lawmaker will have to determine.

If Texas opts out of daylight-saving time, it would be one of only a few states to do so. Areas that don’t participate include Hawaii, most of Arizona (the Indian reservations there do observe it) and U.S. territories such as American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

This year, daylight-saving time starts March 12 and ends Nov. 5.

If Flynn’s bill makes it through both chambers, and if Gov. Greg Abbott signs it into law, it would go into effect Nov. 5

Pros and cons

Flynn filed a similar bill last session that died.

This session, he filed House Bill 95, which has been sent to the Government Transparency and Operations Committee for review.

Supporters say daylight-saving time is no longer as useful as it once was and should end. They say switching to one time in Texas would help children heading to school in the morning and possibly help electric companies that update systems to account for the time change potentially avoid erroneously over-billing customers.

Critics argue that ending daylight-saving time would eliminate what some Texans say is their favorite part of the year — the extra time in the evening when it’s light outside. And they say Texans could end up using more energy year-round, hiking electric and gas use and potentially leading to shortages, blackouts and electrical failures.

Dueling groups have formed on Facebook — Campaign to Opt Out of Daylight Saving Time in Tx and Save Daylight Saving Time in Texas — and thousands of people are “liking” the pages, although significantly more “like” the Campaign to Opt Out of Daylight Saving Time page.

State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, is among those who support the bill.

“Philosophically, I don’t think government has the right to dictate the time,” he said.

State Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, filed an identical bill — Senate Bill 238 — to be heard in the upper chamber. That measure has been referred to the Senate State Affairs Committee.

Changing clocks

Daylight-saving time has been around for decades, with the goal of making the best use of daylight and conserving energy.

Infrequent uses of daylight-saving time occurred during World Wars I and II as part of efforts to save fuel. President Franklin D. Roosevelt referred to it as “War Time” during World War II.

In 1966, Congress formally set one pattern for daylight-saving time — under the Uniform Time Act of 1966. President Lyndon Johnson set daylight-saving time to begin the last Sunday of April and to end the last Sunday of October.

In 2005, President George W. Bush signed a broad energy bill that extended daylight-saving time, starting it on the second Sunday in March and ending it on the first Sunday in November. Any state that didn’t want to participate could pass a law opting out of it.

Flynn said parents and older Texans are among those most ardently arguing for the end of daylight-saving time in Texas.

“Most of the senior people were really upset about it,” he said. “They bought new cars and didn’t know how to change their clocks.

“I don’t see any reason to have it. I really don’t,” Flynn said. “It’s amazing how well the world operated without it.”

This story was originally published February 17, 2017 at 4:10 PM with the headline "Clock is ticking on plan to end daylight-saving time in Texas."