AUSTIN, Texas — One lawmaker in the Texas House is looking to make daylight saving time permanent.
House Bill 1393, filed by Rep. Will Metcalf (R-Montgomery), aims to have Texas permanently observe daylight saving time, which the state observes from March until November. The bill has been taken up by the House Committee on State Affairs, who will decide whether or not to advance it to the full House for a vote.
“I believe we should stick to a time which allows for the maximum amount of daylight in the evening and I know countless others who feel the same way,” Metcalf said on Wednesday.
The issue of whether to adopt one time year-round has been a source of debate for many years. Most critics of Metcalf’s bill argue that permanent daylight saving time would have more negative effects on the mental and physical health of people in the state, rather than the current “fall back, spring forward” twice-yearly clock changes. Others want Texas to observe standard time, which is observed between November and March, year-round instead.
“Permanent daylight saving time as proposed in House Bill 1393 does not align with the human biologic clock,” Dr. Vincent Mysliwiec, a professor of research and director of sleep medicine at UT Health San Antonio, said. “The biologic misalignment that results from this proposed bill results in awakening during darkness without sunlight. This significantly and negatively impacts Texans’ health, safety, productivity and economic success in their businesses. This is a matter of grave concern that cannot be overlooked.”
“Surprisingly, most research suggests having permanent daylight saving is probably the worst of the three options – even worse than changing clocks twice a year,” Dr. Sudha Tallavajhula, a Houston-based neurologist, said.
In a slight contrast to Metcalf’s bill, State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) filed Senate Bill 2029 and Senate Joint Resolution 67. If passed, Bettencourt’s bills would enable a referendum to appear on this November’s ballot, allowing Texas voters to decide whether to observe standard time or daylight saving time year-round.
If either Metcalf’s bill were to become law or voters chose to observe daylight saving time, Texas would still need federal approval to observe daylight saving time year-round. However, if the state were to adopt standard time, Texas would be unilaterally allowed to exempt itself from federal daylight saving time requirements.