For some reason the U.S. Department of Transportation has put Indiana on Moscow time.
It’s been a long time since I had a good time zone post. Those who have been reading for a long time might remember my extensive — some might say “excessive” — blogging about Daylight Saving Time and time zones. But, there hasn’t been much activity recently. Even if folks aren’t necessarily happy with where we’ve landed, I think people have mostly made their peace with it. But, my anecdotal sense of the matter isn’t necessarily the reality of how people feel.
In any case, Rep. Thompson has introduced House Concurrent Resolution 3 which urges the legislative council to assign an interim study committee to study the time zone issue. A quick note on resolutions: These are not bills and resolutions do not create legislation that will become part of the Indiana Code. There are three types of resolutions: joint, concurrent, and simple. Joint resolutions are used to propose amendments to the Indiana Constitution. They have to be passed by both chambers. Concurrent resolutions don’t have the force of law but are passed by both chambers. They’re useful for purposes such as this where they are expressing the will of the members of the General Assembly with respect to some issue about how the body will conduct itself (e.g. in this case, urging a topic for a summer study committee). A simple resolution also does not have the force of law but is used to express a sentiment of a single chamber – often a tool for a ceremonial recognition of a constituent or local organization.
This time zone study resolution makes the argument that an interim study committee should look at putting more of the state on Central Time. It says asserts that the technological reasons for Indiana switching from central to eastern time in the 1960s have come and gone — there is no longer a need to be in the same time zone as banks and TV stations out of New York. And, by remaining in the eastern time zone instead of returning to the central time zone, we make it unnecessarily difficult to do business with California which is the world’s 9th largest economy. It also argues that the longer morning darkness in the eastern time zone puts kids in danger as they wait for buses and disrupts their biological clocks which, in turn, causes health problems.
This is another one I don’t really see going anywhere. But, then again, I didn’t think Indiana would adopt Daylight Saving Time in the first place. Back when DST was being considered, the time zone issue was largely dodged. In fact, I’d argue that if the fact that we’d be on eastern daylight time had been made explicit during the run up to the DST vote, it would not have passed. (It passed by the absolute thinnest of margins as it was.) Even so, I doubt many members of the General Assembly are excited about picking this particular scab.
About the only people I know living west of U.S. 31 who favor EDT are the golf course owners, and they’d rather be on the Moscow time you mentioned anyway.
But, in my opinion, being 1:40 minutes ahead of the sun is 1:40 minutes too much.
I have always thought we should just pick a year and have the entire country (and even the world) just fall back 30 minutes and never screw with it again.
Eastern Standard Time God’s Time always did and always will make PERFECT no doubt Pops nods YES Common Sense!!!! :) it worked well for over 40 years and was and still is God’s time no one should have messed with IT and no one should now!!!! :) If someone says it is time to bury this discussion in the file cabinet or better no doubt Pops nods YES Common Sense his grave it was Time WELL before 2005 before PERFECT compromise Eastern Standard Time God’s time was messed with the year after that for eight months or nearly two thirds of the year and it’s now the unlucky 13th year in a row and the governent’s BONY fingers are getting in ITs way LESS than 12 hours from now and messing with it again Pops no doubt nods resounding NO to Eastern LIE Time!!!! :) Without a doubt!!!! :) lol :) Ok this joke is long past being funny I get ITs so freakin hilarious ITs TERRIBLE to not just LIE but nearly doubly outright LIE about what time IT is!!!! :) Pops and I would laugh so hard we cry!!!! :) Without a doubt!!!! :) lol :)
We may finally turn the corner on daylight time! Look at what the Florida Legislature did Friday, March 9. There have also been serious hearings in Maine, Massachusetts, and Tennessee. Senator Long will not be around any more to foreclose debate in the Indiana Senate.
Our long, long nightmare might be finally coming to an end.
There is a growing national consensus to abolish Daylight Savings Time as we know it. The reasoning goes something like this:
Presently, Daylight Savings Time is in effect for eight months out of the year. Logically, therefore, Daylight Time is more “standard” than Standard Time.
Americans generally favor daylight time. But switching back and forth between times every year is quite annoying.
The most straightforward solution would be to forget the fall-back in November and instead everyone would jump permanently into the next easterly time zone. The former Soviet Union adopted this plan back during World War II.
President Trump has tweeted his support for this proposal!
I seriously doubt that the Indiana Legislature wants to “pick the scab” by having another debate about time. If Indiana were placed permanently into the Atlantic Time Zone, however, I don’t see how a debate could be avoided.
Having Indiana moved to Atlantic Time would work for me. Daylight would come an hour earlier. The early morning light works with my internal clock. I moved from Indiana before DST. When I returned in 2011 I did not like the change. When you are at the western edge of a time zone you already have daylight extended long into the evening.
???? You have it backward. Indiana is effectively on Atlantic Standard Time right now. Sunrise will not occur till maybe 8 AM in Indiana on Atlantic Standard Time. Sunrise will indeed occur at maybe 6 AM in Bermuda on Atlantic Standard Time. Please look at the clock and then look out the window tomorrow morning. Thanks.
I stand corrected.
Will the time zone issue get new life in “light” of Sen. Marco Rubio’s efforts to make daylight saving year round? https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/432863-florida-lawmakers-introduce-bill-to-end-daylight-saving-clock-change