Sen. Manar to Push for Permanent Daylight Savings in Illinois

By Jeremy Coumbes on November 7, 2019 at 12:27pm

A State Senator intends to push a bill that would make daylight savings time permanent.

Capitol News is reporting that Senator Andy Manar, of Bunker Hill, said in a post on Twitter Wednesday that he plans to push for passage of Senate Bill 533 when lawmakers return next week for the final three days of the fall veto session.

That bill calls for setting clocks ahead one hour to Daylight Saving Time on Sunday, March 8, 2020, then leaving the state on Central Daylight Time permanently.

Manar said the idea for the bill came to him from a Carlinville High School student. And in his tweet, he linked to a recent article in NewsWeek that cited research that suggests the twice-yearly clock changes in most of the United States might have detrimental health impacts.

According to the U. S. Department of Transportation, Daylight Saving Time reduces energy consumption because it reduces the need for household lighting and appliances.

The agency also says it helps prevent traffic accidents and reduces crime because more people are traveling to and from work or school and conducting daily activities during daylight hours.

Manar’s bill passed out of the State Government Committee on May 23 and has since been referred to another committee.

Lawmakers return to the Statehouse on Tuesday, Nov. 12, and will continue through Thursday, Nov. 14.