Governor Kay Ivey Signs Permanent Daylight Saving Time Bill for Alabama

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has signed a bill that would put the state on year-round Daylight Saving Time. However, this will only take effect if Congress amends federal law to allow states to do it. The Alabama House passed a bill, and the votes resulted in 93-1. Meanwhile, the Senate had approved it by a vote of 29-0. The legislation regarding time change advanced to the state governor after near-unanimous support among state lawmakers.

The bill sponsors were Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro, and Rep. Ritchie Whorton, R-Owens Cross Roads. According to Whorton, “You go from March to November, one sort of time and switching to another time, it’s hard for folks to get used to the change.” He explained that many people are not used to getting up in the morning, running late, and having an accident.

Many US states change their time twice-yearly for more than a century. From the standard time, they switch to Daylight Saving Time and then back again. This practice has been a tradition that some people are against those who want to end DST. However, everyone still needs to wait for the final decision. Like Alabama, other states have passed similar legislation in the last four years, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Georgia and Louisiana adopted these bills the previous year.