Should Michigan Get Rid of Daylight Savings Time? Spring Forward, Fall Back… are you a fan of Daylight savings time? Should we get rid of it in Michigan? Keep it? Or.. switch to it permanently?
Daylight savings time (advancing clocks during summer months by one hour) was adopted in Michigan 47 years ago. It was initially proposed in 1895, and gained popularity as a concept years later as a way to save energy during World War I. However, there has been debates that DLS hasn’t produced the benefits anticipated (i.e. save energy) and we might be better off doing away with it all together since it isn’t worth the trouble it causes.
OAKLAND COUNTY MOMS BLOG ENTRIES
As moms can attest, DLS can wreak havoc on the schedules of infants, babies, toddlers, and children. When my son was born, I brushed off the warnings I was given thinking they were overexaggerated only to find out it took my son a week to recover to his normal sleep & feeding schedule. The following years haven’t been kind either. Heck, even adults have personal body clock issues associated with Daylight Savings Time.
Two House Bills have been introduced in the past in Michigan to get rid of DST – House Bill 4342 and House Bill 4986. But any attempt to rearrange the state’s time schedules would of course encounter some adversity. The tourism industry and summer time businesses are concerned about losing an hour of light on summer evenings. Both of these bills lost but there are other states proposing similar bills to scrap the savings time concept. New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts are trying to opt out of Daylight Savings Time by instituting an Atlantic Standard Time. The bill is still gathering steam. Even Former President Trump tweeted in 2017 that he’s not a fan of DST and would ditch it if someone put the right bill in front of him for him to sign.
Now, House Bill 4052, a bill that could make Michigan eligible to switch to permanent DST (never “fall back”) has passed The House. 4052 was introduced in January of 2021 by State Rep. Michele Hoitenga. Even if Hoitenga’s bill succeeds in Michigan, it would not take effect unless other Midwestern states make the switch to permanent Daylight Savings Time as well. 4052 DID get support in the Michigan House (passed) and is currently in the Senate. But… as stated, with no immediate plans from Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania & Illinois to eliminate DST on their end – there isn’t any real optimism that Daylight Savings Time in Michigan will be killed off any time soon.
I’m sure the people of Michigan would not be opposed to moving in the opposite direction and using daylight savings time year-round, i.e. operating on Central time. Just so long as we can remain consistent with one time, year-round, rather than having a time change twice each year and causing unnecessary chaos.
What do you think? Is DLS an outdated concept, or would you rather leave things status quo? I guess I didn’t think about DLS very much until I became a mom.
Should Michigan Get Rid of Daylight Savings Time? – M-Live and WLNS.
