Lawmakers file bills to let Texans vote on daylight saving time

Two San Antonio lawmakers are pushing for Texas voters to be able to decide whether to continue to spring forward and fall back with their clocks.

AUSTIN, Texas - Two San Antonio lawmakers at the Texas State Capitol say it’s time to move forward from daylight saving time.

"Daylight saving was adopted in the United States over 100 years ago, 103 to be exact, and it’s a remnant of World War I. That time is long past, pun heavily intended," said state Sen. José Menéndez of San Antonio.

The effect of Daylight Saving Time on sleep

It's time to fall back and change the clocks but what does the hour gained do to our body? Medical Director of The Sleep Disorders Center at Heart Hospital of Austin Dr. Stanley Wang talks about the impact.

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP

Menéndez is pushing lawmakers at this legislative session to let the voters decide on if Texans should continue to spring forward and fall back with their clocks. He has filed Senate Bill 471 in the upcoming 87th legislative session.

"We’re not using candles, we’re not using oil lamps, electricity is not quite as expensive as it used to be, and so we don’t need to use this outdated system twice a year," said Menéndez.

Menéndez said there’s a lot of cons with changing our clocks twice a year.

"There are a lot of studies that I’ve shown that productivity at work drops that children do worse in school shortly after the change the time change and there’s an increase in the number of accidents," said Menéndez.

Whether it’s time to keep daylight saving or time to let it go, if the bill passes, voters would get to decide.

SIGN UP FOR FOX 7 AUSTIN EMAIL ALERTS

Sleep expert on Daylight Saving Time ending

Yes, Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday morning and we gain an hour of sleep. But sleep expert Dr. Brandon Hedgecock says it could still affect your sleep schedule if you’re not careful. Dr. Hedgecock joined Good Day Austin’s Casey Claiborne this week to talk about it.

In 2019, State Rep. Lyle Larson of San Antonio filed a similar bill to let Texans vote on either exempting the state from daylight saving time or observing daylight saving time year-round. It passed the Texas House but died in the Texas Senate. Larson's 2019 bill would have required Congress to amend a federal law that presently only allows states to shift to standard time permanently.

Larson has also filed a bill, HB 1405, in this legislative session alongside Menéndez.

"The practice of changing our clocks is nonsensical and has significant drawbacks," Larson said in a release. "We want to give Texans an opportunity to vote on ending this practice by choosing between standard time year-round or daylight saving time year-round."

In 2015, now-former state Rep. Dan Flynn of Canton filed a bill to exempt Texas from Daylight Saving Time. Flynn's bill, House Bill 150, got further than previous efforts at the time and cleared a committee and reached the House floor.