UPDATED: Southern Utah senators cast only dissenting votes on bill to keep Utah on Daylight Saving Time year-round

February 10, 2020 Utah Channel 3

ST. GEORGE — The Utah Senate voted Tuesday to advance a bill that would keep Utah on Daylight Saving Time year-round.

Updated Feb. 11, 1:15 p.m. to reflect most current status of bill.

The bill, designated as SB 59 in the 2020 Utah Legislature, is sponsored by Taylorsville Sen. Wayne Harper. Lawmakers voted 28-1 on Monday to pass the bill to the Senate’s third reading calendar, where it would be subject to a final vote before going to the Utah House. Southern Utah Sen. Don Ipson was the sole dissenting vote.

On Tuesday, during the third reading, the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 25-2-2. Once again, Ipson voted against the bill, as well as Southern Utah Sen. David Hinkins.

SB 59 would have Utah spring ahead as it normally does in March and stay ahead permanently. However, before it would be enacted, other states must adopt similar bills, and the U.S. Congress must approve it, something which Harper said in debate Monday was in the works, including legislation from Utah Congressman Rob Bishop.

“Utah is not going to be alone in this,” Harper said, citing 26 state legislatures that have introduced similar bills. “This bill requires that we have at least five Western states other than Utah who will go through and adopt a bill similar to ours before our bill can take effect.”

Harper later clarified that it would be five states including Utah and said that Delaware, Maine, Oregon and Washington have adopted similar contingency bills. Tennessee and Florida are outright going to change to year-round Daylight Saving Time, he said, adding that California has one vote left before they adopt the change.

Harper said that his bill in its current iteration does not require the states to be boundary states, to which Ipson asked if there was any way to restrict it to be surrounding states, “rather than the Pacific Northwest and California.”

“I do know that there are bills being introduced in New Mexico, Colorado … Nevada and Idaho,” Harper responded, adding that the Wyoming Legislature doesn’t meet this year. “We could do that … but I kind of like the bill as it is now.”

St. George News attempted to reach Ipson for clarification of his vote against the bill, but as of publication of this report, he has not responded.

Roosevelt Sen. Ronald Winterton asked if Harper had spoken with school districts about the bill.

“Because most of them in my district say ‘Well, the kids are going to school in the dark,’” Winterton said, “and they actually said they don’t want me to vote for this because of that reason.”

“I have had discussions … with the various stakeholders,” Harper said. “They indicated to me after the meeting that they are excited about this bill because it will give them a little more flexibility and a little bit more impetus to start school a little bit later that has health benefits for some of the senior and junior high school students.”

Along these lines, a concurrent resolution was introduced this session encouraging consideration of later start times for high school. The resolution – HCR003 – passed the House on Monday by a vote of 51-20-4, with Southern Utah Reps. V. Lowry Snow and Rex Shipp voting in favor and all other Southern Utah representatives opposed – with the exception of Rep. Brad Last, who was marked as “absent or not voting.”

In his closing statements Monday, Harper said it was time to do what “most people prefer.”

“Based on a 2017 nationwide survey,” he said, “it was indicated that about 74% of the people in the country would like to stay on lighter later year-round.”

Following the bill’s passage in the Senate, it will go to the Utah House.

For a complete list of contacts for Southern Utah representatives and senators, click here.

Check out all of St. George News’ coverage of the 2020 Utah Legislature here.