Daylight saving time or standard 鈥� the Oregon Senate doesn鈥檛 much care which. Senators are just sick of twice-yearly clock changes and the disrupted sleep patterns that come with them.
Six years after approving a bill to usher in an everlasting daylight saving time that never came to pass, the chamber took a new tack on Tuesday. In an 18-11 vote, it passed , which will tie the state鈥檚 temporal fate to its neighbors.
The bill would allow Oregon to remain on standard time year-round if both California and Washington make the same decision in the next 10 years.
The proposal also leaves open the possibility that Oregon would stick with year-round daylight saving time, a step lawmakers first approved in 2019. That would require support from Washington and California 鈥� and an act of Congress.
A large chunk of Malheur County that sits in the Mountain Time Zone would be unaffected.
鈥淭his bill gives us the highest chance of ditching the switch,鈥� said state Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, the bill鈥檚 author, 鈥渂ut which switch to ditch is going to be up to entities outside of our control.鈥�
Thatcher鈥檚 long, so far fruitless, quest to end clock changes has resulted in sometimes-heated debate on the subject in Salem over the years. Both daylight and standard time have committed partisans happy to let loose on lawmakers who don鈥檛 share their views.
鈥淎s soon as you put your mark in the sand, oh my god, the flood gates are torn down,鈥� Senate Minority Leader Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, said during Tuesday鈥檚 debate.
Last year, a proposal by Thatcher that might have made Oregon the only state on the West Coast to adopt permanent standard time , partly out of concern that Oregon would be out of sync with California and Washington.
This year鈥檚 bill, with its fidelity to Oregon鈥檚 neighbors, avoided the same fate.
Fans of the daylight saving approach say it leaves more time after work and school to enjoy the day. They argue later light cuts down on crime and creates safer evening commutes.
But during winter, the time standard can lead to even darker mornings, with the in Portland.
Backers of standard time say it most closely hews to the body鈥檚 natural clock and is better for sleep. They add that dark mornings under daylight saving are unsafe for school children.
But permanent standard time comes with its own odd outcome: far sunnier mornings. In Portland, a switch to permanent standard time would result in the sun rising as early as 4:21 a.m. in June.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know about you, but I don鈥檛 know anyone here who is having a barbecue or party at 4 a.m.,鈥� said state Sen. Kathleen Taylor, D-Portland, who opposed SB 1038 because she believes permanent standard time would deprive the state of joy.
No senators spoke specifically in favor of a permanent standard time, but many agreed with the idea of syncing up with Oregon鈥檚 neighbors to the north and south.
The fact that the bill wouldn鈥檛 create any immediate change was another likely selling point. In Washington, a proposal died this year without receiving a hearing.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 lock us into anything right now,鈥� said state Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, who supported the bill. 鈥淚t says we鈥檙e going to look at how Oregon, Washington, California can work in alignment.鈥�
The bill now moves to the House.
