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Sen. Griffo Continues Push
to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent in New York State
Published: November 06, 2021
at 01:00 p.m.
By: Press Release from NYS Senator Joseph Griffo
Griffo continues push
to make daylight saving time permanent in New York State
Senator has been discussing regional approach with
legislative colleagues in neighboring states
With daylight
saving time ending Sunday, state Sen. Joseph Griffo,
R-I-C-Rome, continues to advocate for legislation he has sponsored
that would eliminate the need to switch clocks back and forth each
year in New York.
Sen. Griffo’s legislation (S3813) establishes
daylight saving time as the year-round standard time of the state and the
city of New York. The bill would be contingent upon a compact with
neighboring states and the federal government passing legislation allowing
states to adopt daylight saving time as the permanent standard measure of
time.
Sen. Griffo has been reaching out to fellow legislators in
states bordering New York to solicit their interest in introducing similar
bills in their respective legislatures.
Daylight saving
time was made permanent following the enactment of the federal Uniform Time
Act in 1966. As a result, most Americans advance their clocks by an hour in
the warmer months so that it gets dark later and move their clocks back an
hour in the fall. All states except for Hawaii and Arizona, as well as
several U.S. territories, follow daylight saving time.
While federal law
does not currently allow for full-time daylight saving
time, it could if Congress decides to take action. Over the last four
years, 19 states (Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Idaho,
Louisiana, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, Wyoming, Arkansas, Delaware, Maine,
Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, California and Florida) have enacted legislation
or passed resolutions to provide for year-round daylight
saving time if Congress were to allow such a change, according to
the National Conference of State Legislatures. In some cases, surrounding
states have enacted the same legislation.
Research
and studies have indicated that moving clocks forward one hour in
the spring and back in the fall can have significant consequences on the
health, safety and wellbeing of the public. Observing daylight saving time
year-round can reduce
energy consumption, lead to reductions in crime and traffic
accidents and increased
economic activity, which helps businesses and the economy.
“I am continuing
my efforts to make daylight saving time permanent in New York and the
Northeastern United States because I believe that doing so will be
beneficial to our communities, state and geographic region,” Sen. Griffo said. “Studies and research has shown that permanent daylight saving time can
decrease health concerns, enhance public safety, cut down on
traffic-related accidents and provide a needed boost for local and state
economies. It just makes sense to not have to change our clocks twice a
year.”
Sen. Griffo’s bill is in the Senate’s Judiciary
Committee. A companion bill (A6443) has been sponsored by state
Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, D-Rotterdam. That bill has been referred
to the Assembly’s Governmental Operations Committee.
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