North Carolina Lawmakers Retry to Abolish Daylight Saving Time

This year, North Carolina lawmakers are trying again to pass a bill that will keep the state on permanent Daylight Saving Time. The sponsor states that retrying to ditch DST would send a message to Congress how important it is for North Carolina to keep Daylight Saving Time year-round. If House Bill 307 is approved, there would be a "North Carolina Time Zone", keeping the state on "spring forward" time all year. Not only that, but North Carolina will be "falling back" to Eastern Standard Time each November if the federal government authorizes states to do so. 

North Carolina is not the only state to pass a similar bill. Fifteen other states have also filed a bill to abolish Daylight Saving Time, including many in the Southeast. Rep. Jason Saine, R-Lincoln, was the sponsor of the bill. He also proposed a similar one in 2019, which has passed the House with strong bipartisan support. However, it didn't pass the Senate. According to Saine, the idea of abolishing DST has sparked a conversation among regional lawmakers at a National Conference of State Legislators meeting.

"Whether it's Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time, I'm indifferent. We had to pick one, so we picked one," Saine stated. "I think the thing that most people hate – they spend two months out of the year trying to readjust their internal clock," he added. According to Saine, what the lawmakers were asking for is to tell Congress that they need to do something about it. Those who support the bill believe that Daylight Saving Time lowers energy consumption and reduces car accidents. However, the non-supporters explain that most people heading to work or school will experience complete darkness over the winter without the time change.