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Oregon Senate passes amended bill that would keep Oregon on standard time — if Washington, California agree

Could 'Spring Forward, Fall Back' finally be put behind us? Maybe
MGN
Could 'Spring Forward, Fall Back' finally be put behind us? Maybe

SALEM, Ore. (KGW/KTVZ) — The Oregon Senate passed an amended bill Monday that would keep the state on standard time, if the whole West Coast does so. Lawmakers narrowly approved it on a 16-14 vote, KGW reported.

Senate Bill 1548 would do away with daylight saving time and put Oregon permanently on standard time, but only if Washington and California adopt measures to do the same. The amended version of the bill includes a trigger that ties the two neighboring states California and Washington. If neither state passes similar bills within the next 10 years, by March 2034, the Oregon bill would then be repealed.

The amended bill heads next to the House for consideration. But for now, Oregonians will still need to observe daylight saving time and 'spring forward' at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 10.

RELATED: Amended Oregon bill that would eliminate daylight saving time passes out of committee

In late February, a previous version of the bill failed to pass the Senate and was deadlocked at 15-15. One of the bill's sponsors changed her vote, bringing SB 1548 back for reconsideration.

Lawmakers have long considered putting an end to the twice-annual clock switch. In 2019, Oregon and Washington passed bills to make daylight saving time permanent, but it never went into effect. Those bills also required California to sign on, and that effort stalled. States need approval from Congress or the Department of Transportation to make daylight saving time permanent, but a move to permanent standard time does not.

Arizona and Hawaii do not observe daylight saving time. They are the only two states in the country that are on year-round permanent standard time.

Article Topic Follows: Government-politics

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