Michigan Lawmakers Voted For Year-Round Daylight Savings Time, What’s The Hold Up?
Despite the Michigan legislature approving a measure to adopt Daylight Savings Time year-round back in April, we'll still be setting our clocks back on Sunday morning as we return to standard time at 2am on November 7th.
Back in April lawmakers in the Michigan legislature approved HB 4052 by an overwhelming margin, 87-22. Despite that fact, the Michigan State Senate has yet to act on the bill. That bill would get rid of the Spring & Fall jumps forward and back between the Daylight Savings Time & Standard Time.
Observing Daylight Savings time year-round would mean more daylight at the end of the day through the year. For example, on Monday sunset in Grand Rapids will take place at 5:26 pm as part of Standard Time. If Michigan were to continue observing DST, sunset would be at 6:26 pm.
But the Michigan Senate isn't the only hold up at this point, we're also waiting on the federal government, and even our neighbors to move forward.
If Michigan's legislation is passed by the state Senate, it would not go into effect unless congress amends federal law to allow states to observe DST year-round. The move would also have to be made by Michigan's neighbors and other states like Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
There is also a provision in the bill that would eliminate the time changes altogether depending on if the US Congress eliminates Daylight Savings Time across the country.
About Daylight Savings Time from the National Conference of State Legislatures:
The U.S. had daylight saving time as early as 1918, with the current federal policy being enacted in 1966, as the Uniform Time Act. Several changes occurred along the way, mostly altering the start and end dates of DST. The current enactment was part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Federal law allows a state to exempt itself from observing daylight saving time, upon action by the state legislature but does not allow the permanent observance of DST.|