The proposed “trigger law” would only take effect if federal law changes.
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Like clockwork, another new year brings another push against seasonal time changes in Virginia.
The debate over the biannual clock changes, when most states “fall back” on the first Sunday in November to standard time and “spring forward” on the second Sunday in March to daylight saving time, has drawn different opinions from health experts and lawmakers.
One Republican state lawmaker who has stayed focused on the subject, Del. Joseph McNamara (R-Roanoke), is proposing a new bill for Virginia to change to daylight saving year-round if Congress passes a law allowing states to do so.
“There are certainly demonstrable benefits,” Del. McNamara told 8News in a phone interview Thursday, asserting many from the health and “quality of life” perspective.
Under federal law, states can move to year-round standard time but not daylight saving time. The proposal to allow that, the Sunshine Protection Act, passed the U.S. Senate last year but stalled in the U.S. House. If passed by Congress, it would still require the president’s signature.
If McNamara’s bill for a trigger law, which dropped Thursday, passes during the 2024 General Assembly session and is signed, Virginia would join 19 other states that have passed measures to move to year-round daylight saving time if the federal rules change.
In Virginia, recent proposals to make daylight saving time permanent or study the seasonal clock changes have led to questions about the health and logistical issues it could bring — and confusion — before ultimately failing.
The Virginia Senate voted down a proposal in January to move the state to permanent daylight saving time, with critics saying the change would cause chaos for transit systems and when doing business with other states, especially neighboring ones, under different time zones.
Permanent daylight saving time would bring later sunsets, and year-round standard time would lead to earlier sunrises and make it darker earlier in the evening. The biannual changes have been linked to an increased risk of car crashes, seasonal depression, obesity and more.
Lawmakers hoping to switch to year-round daylight saving time have pointed to an array of benefits, including reports and studies that say it helps reduce car crashes, crime, childhood obesity, energy usage and benefits the economy.
But other studies and reports have disputed some of those arguments, and critics have noted the issues brought on the last time the U.S. moved to year-round daylight saving time. Many in the medical and scientific communities are backing year-round standard time.
A coalition of sleep experts calling for permanent standard time argue it’s “the best choice for health and safety,” saying it aligns with people’s natural circadian rhythm and that daylight saving time disrupts our sleep cycles, possibly leading to an increased risk of obesity and depression.
When asked whether he has had discussions with sleep experts or observers who back year-round standard time, McNamara told 8News he hasn’t spoken to anyone who thinks it is the right path. He said his bill addresses “implementation” concerns that plagued previous efforts.
The 2024 legislative session begins Jan. 10, 2024.
