As we prepare to “fall back” one hour on November 7th, Senator Blake Stephens held a study on the benefits of making Daylight Saving Time (DST) the official time year round in Oklahoma.
Testimony indicated the time change in the fall and spring do impact some people adversely. By keeping Daylight Saving Time, it would give more daylight at the end of the day which could allow for further economic and recreational opportunities for individuals and families. There would be a possible benefit for agriculture producers, as well.
“Daylight Saving Time is already observed eight months out of the year, so this change would only impact four months – November through March,” Stephens said. “Extending daylight at the end of the day has been proven to have a multitude of health and sleep impacts and would also add extra daylight for families to be active, children to participate in extracurricular activities and our farmers and ranchers to safely work in the evenings.”
Even if the Oklahoma Legislature passes Stephen’s bill, it would have to wait until Congress gave approval. Currently, there are 18 states which have already enacted legislation or approved resolutions to make Daylight Saving Time the official time year round.
“This isn’t a drastic change in our day-to-day lives, but it could make a huge impact on our health and productivity outcomes as a state,” Stephens said. “Even if we passed legislation making DST the official time year-round in Oklahoma, we’d still have to wait for federal approval for the change to go into effect. However, now is the time to be proactive and get this across the finish line – further proving to Congress that this is a change our state wants.”
