Most of the U.S. lost an hour of sleep this weekend after moving clocks forward for daylight saving time, but a bill making its way through the Illinois legislature proposes to make that the last time Illinoisans lose sleep for the tradition.
HB 0039 would amend the Standard Time Act, so daylight saving time would be the year-round standard time of the entire state, according to the bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield.
The bill was assigned to the State Government Administration Committee on Feb. 4, and a hearing is set for March 12.
Morgan said if both chambers pass the bill and the governor signs it, Congress would still have to act for it to go into effect. Congress passed the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which prevents states from permanently observing daylight saving time, though it allows states to observe standard time permanently.
“We basically would be gaining time during the summer months, and it would help us for businesses, for kids — it would change the way that our sunrise and sunset happens in terms of what we think of with our day from a 9-to-5 perspective.”
Republican representatives in Illinois introduced similar legislation in HB 1400. It was assigned to the State Government Administration Committee on Feb. 11, but a committee hearing has not yet been scheduled.
A Missouri Senate bill assigned to a committee last month would establish daylight saving as the new standard time, and other states are invited to join as a pact. But this bill doesn’t have a committee hearing scheduled yet, either. In 2022, the U.S. Senate approved a bill to make daylight saving time permanent nationwide, but the measure didn’t make it through the House of Representatives.
Dozens of states have considered hundreds of bills and resolutions in recent years to establish year-round daylight saving time as soon as federal law allows it, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
However, President Donald Trump said last week that ending daylight saving time is a “50-50 issue.” He said some people prefer more light later in the day, while others prefer more light earlier to avoid taking their kids to school in the dark.
Morgan said he’s not sure if HB 0039 will get the votes to become law in Illinois. He said there’s strong bipartisan support in the House and Senate in Washington, D.C.
“It’s more likely than it's ever been in my lifetime,” Morgan said. “Twice a year, I hear about this from my constituents, old and young, and everyone I know agrees that we need to make a change.”
