This weekend, Michiganders will “spring forward” as we lose an hour to the switch to Daylight Saving Time.
State Senator Thomas Albert (R-Lowell) wants to give Michigan voters a chance to hit the snooze button. He’s introduced a bill to let voters decide if Michigan will switch permanently to standard time.
Albert sees no benefit to Daylight Saving Time.
“I’m a dad. I have young kids. (Sunday’s) a rough day,” said Albert with a laugh.
Supporters argue Daylight Saving Time helps conserve energy and give more daylight into the evening hours during the spring and summer.
Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966 that set up the biannual time change, and lobbying efforts by the golf industry are largely credited for Congress expanding Daylight Saving Time by a month in the mid-1980s.
For as long as it has been around, the constant clock adjusting has drawn the ire of Americans weary of losing an hour of sleep in the spring only to be faced with the early onset of darkness in the fall. That exhaustion has led to hundreds of bills introduced in nearly every state over the years to halt the practice.
The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that in the last six years, 20 states have passed measures calling for a switch to year-round Daylight Saving Time, many at the cajoling of golf industry lobbyists. But while states could switch to permanent standard time — as Arizona and Hawaii have done — Congress would need to change the law to allow permanent Daylight Saving Time.
That hindrance — along with arguments that permanent standard time would improve sleep quality and foster safer morning commutes — has seen more states consider opting out of Daylight Saving Time. Lawmakers in more than a dozen states have introduced bills this year to make standard time permanent.
If Senate Bill 126 passes, the question of staying on Daylight Saving Time would appear on Michigan’s ballot in 2026.
