John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight – A House panel shot down an effort to switch South Dakota’s time zones one step east from November to March each year.
The prime sponsor of House Bill 1009, Rep. Ben Krohmer, R-Mitchell, said the change would offer more daylight during the darkest days of winter. That would mean more evening daylight for farmers, construction workers, winter sports enthusiasts and hunters.
It would also benefit human health, Krohmer said, as a lack of sunlight contributes to a risk of seasonal depression.
Federal law requires states to recognize daylight saving time from 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March through the second Sunday in November unless states specifically opt out. People “spring forward” one hour in March, and “fall back” an hour in November.
Technically, Kromer’s bill wouldn’t have opted out of daylight saving time. Instead, it would have moved the state’s time zones during the shortest days of winter, essentially extending daylight saving time across the entire year and keeping daylight saving time year-round without saying so.
In western South Dakota, which observes Mountain time, HB 1009 would have switched those residents to Central time. In eastern South Dakota, Central time would have swapped out for Eastern time.
“We will still spring forward and fall back,” Krohmer told the House State Affairs Committee on Wednesday. “However, instead of changing our clocks back an hour, we’d switch to Eastern time.”
Opponents said the change would create danger for children getting to school in the dark, pointing to fatal accidents that took place in the 1970s, when the entire country opted for a single standard time system with no seasonal changes. They also pointed out that the change would create confusion for those who deal with people from other states that remain on daylight saving time.
“If we have different time zones than the states around us, it would cause problems for all of us,” said Rep. John Sjaarda, R-Valley Springs.
Oren Lesmeister, D-Parade, moved to pass the bill. He noted that several states, including Minnesota, have voted to opt out of the biennial clock changes in the event Congress allows states to observe year-round daylight saving time.
In addition to the time zone switch, Krohmer’s bill would have set South Dakota up to do the same thing. Last year, a bill that would have put South Dakota in the group of states that would observe permanent daylight saving time if Congress allows it failed in committee.
“I think it is about time. Is this bill the right way to go about it? I’m not sure. But I do know that the states around us have adopted this,” Lesmeister said.
Rep. Gary Cammack, R-Union Center, offered a substitute motion to move the bill to the 41st day, a maneuver that defeats a bill.
Cammack’s motion passed 11-2.