North Dakota Lawmakers Discard Permanent DST Proposal

North Dakota lawmakers have been submitting proposals to make Daylight Saving Time year-round. However, the proposal to enact permanent DST was rejected in the Legislature on Monday, April 19. The statehouse lawmakers voted 36-56, killing House Bill 1371.

North Dakota residents have opposing opinions regarding the bill. Some are in favor of making Daylight Saving Time permanent, while others are not. The movement to establish later sunsets permanently has been a perennial debate in the North Dakota Legislature. Those who favor the bill believe that the change would abolish the twice-annual hassle of changing the clocks. Not only that, but it will also help those who suffer from seasonal depression.

Opponents of the time change believe that approving the bill would create confusion and logistical challenges by throwing the state out of alignment with other states. However, this year's proposal added to this year assuring that a time change would not go into effect unless North Dakota's neighboring states do the same. This includes South Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota.

Rep. Bill Devlin, R-Finley, has sponsored the bill. He stated on Monday that he could no longer push the proposal. This is because it requires three other states to get on board. Besides, a separate proposal to enact year-round daylight saving laws in North Dakota has failed on the House floor earlier this session.