Permanent daylight saving bill heads to Oregon governor

SALEM – Oregon lawmakers gave final approval on Thursday to a bill that could keep most of the state on permanent daylight saving time.

But even if Democratic Gov. Kate Brown signs it into law, Senate Bill 320 would not take effect unless Congress agrees to allow Oregon to make the change.

The measure also would require Washington and California to adopt permanent daylight saving time for the Oregon law to take effect. Lawmakers in Olympia passed just such a bill this spring. A similar measure in California is still under consideration.

Rep. Bill Post, R-Keizer, was one of several lawmakers who said their constituents were clamoring to “ditch the switch,” a phrase supporters of the measure have used in order to indicate their dissatisfaction with the twice-annual ritual of setting clocks forward or turning them back.

“After the 2018 time change, I don’t know what happened,” said Post. “But people got grouchy.”

But the feeling was far from unanimous. Some lawmakers pointed out that staying on daylight saving time year-round would mean the sun would rise after 8:30 a.m. for much of December and January.

“It’s winter that concerns me,” said Rep. Werner Reschke, R-Klamath Falls. “Shifting the daylight hours to be later in the day and away from the morning when children are going to school, which – if this bill passes – will be in the dark.”

Oregon and permanent daylight saving time: What you need to know

Oregon seems ready to make daylight saving time year-round, or at least lawmakers are taking it seriously. No more spring forward, fall back. What's it really mean? Check out our interactive feature.

Despite the objections, the bill passed 37-20 and now heads to the governor’s desk.

For her part, Brown supports the concept. “I think we’re all ready to get rid of the change,” she said Thursday.

The bill contains an exception for the portion of the state in Mountain Time, which includes most of Malheur County. That area will continue to switch between daylight saving time to standard time each year.

Staying on daylight saving time year-round there would mean the sun would rise after 9 a.m. for more than two months in a row in Ontario, on the Idaho border. But the carve out means those communities will spend part of the year on the same time as Portland, and part of the year one hour ahead of Portland.