Posted on 04/28/2005 5:28:39 AM PDT by Military family member
Senate OKs daylight-saving time Updated 12:00 a.m. Thursday, April 28
By Mike Smith/Associated Press € Indianapolis
The Senate on Wednesday passed legislation that would put all of Indiana on daylight-saving time, but the revised bill must win a second vote in the House to reach the desk of its biggest backer this session - Gov. Mitch Daniels.
It was possible that House vote would take place late Wednesday night, although lawmakers have until midnight Friday to end the regular session. The Senate voted 28-22 in favor of the bill, which would require the entire state to change its clocks twice a year just as 47 other states and at least 70 nations do.
Although Daniels and many other proponents say statewide daylight-time would eliminate confusion and boost commerce, Senate President Pro Tem Robert Garton, R-Columbus, suggested that image was a bigger reason to back it. He said if it became law, it would lead to a flood of favorable national publicity.
"Nobody is going to joke about the time in Indiana anymore," Garton said moments before senators voted on the issue for the first time since 1983. "The times they are a changin', and they will change in Indiana."
Twenty Republican senators joined eight Democrats in voting for the bill, while 13 Republicans and nine Democrats voted against it.
Daniels said supporters had cast a "right and courageous vote."
If the bill becomes law, it would take effect next April, when all states except most of Arizona and all of Hawaii would again observe the time change.
It would require that 77 counties in the Eastern time zone that remain on standard time year round move their clocks ahead one hour in the spring and one hour back in the fall. Five counties in the Eastern zone - two near Cincinnati and three near Louisville - ignore current state and federal law and observe daylight time.
Five counties each in the northwestern and southwestern corners of the state are in the Central zone and observe daylight time.
But the legislation would require that Daniels and the General Assembly petition the U.S. Department of Transportation, which regulates times zones, to hold hearings to determine if more Indiana counties should be moved to the Central zone.
The request would have to be made within days of Daniels' signing the bill, and he has said the hearing process could begin within months.
Republican Rep. Jerry Torr of Carmel, the bill's primary sponsor in the House, said he hoped that chamber would vote on the bill again Wednesday night. He said the Senate tally gave it timely momentum, and he did not want the contentious time issue to wait until Thursday or Friday and interfere with debate and a vote on a new, two-year state budget.
It took two votes for the legislation to pass the House earlier this session, and only cleared that chamber with the minimum 51 votes after three Republicans switched their votes to yes.
Efforts to mandate statewide daylight time in Indiana have failed numerous times over the past three decades, in large part because lawmakers say their constituents are so divided about the issue and passionate about their opinions.
The bill's movement this year has sparked statewide media coverage, and many lawmakers say they have received more e-mails, phone calls and other input from constituents on this issue than any other.
It took a couple of minutes before all senators registered their votes Wednesday, and at least one - Republican Jeff Drozda of Westfield - suggested that his support could hurt his bid for a second term. But he said he backed it primarily for economic development reasons, and carried a large, silver clock to the podium and moved the hour hand ahead to show how easy the change would be.
Some opponents said the commerce claims were overblown, and some senators from districts near Illinois and the pockets of Indiana in the Central zone said most of their constituents were against Eastern daylight time. Many live in the Eastern zone and work in the Central zone, and did not want to be an hour ahead of their western neighbors and employers all year.
"I don't see this as a great salvation to the state of Indiana, but I do see it as a great inconvenience to the people I represent," said Sen. Lindel Hume, D-Princeton.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
The solution is for the entire Midwest to join the Eastern Time Zone. THere's really no reason NOON has to occur at 12 AM.
Actually, it's to ban Eastern Time :-)
None of this helps the guys in the Northernmost part of the Northern tier you know.
Yes it does look like it will happen. The House votes today and then it's on to Governor Mitch. I'm not really for or against it. It has turned into a political game here with the Repubs pushing it and the Demos opposed to it. Each side makes it sound like you're losing or gaining an hour each day. The day is still 24 hours long. It's a good topic to distract from other more important things though.
Since Daylight Savings Time was invented by Ben Franklin to Save candle wax, it may be an idea that's a bit behind the times.
But since everyone else won't change, I gues Indiana should.
MY solution, change all the Indiana clocks ahead 24 hours. Then we can say we're a day ahead of the world.
I'm going to miss the fast time-slow time arguments. I used to live in Rensselaer which was right on the edge of the cutoff for daylight savings time. It was very confusing when you needed to go to Lafayette or Indianapolis.
I have met Jeff, but if he thinks changing a clock has anything to do with the states businesses ability to conduct business, it says very little for him.
ML/NJ
If only the Washington Republicans could grow a spine...
Resistance is futile!!!!!
While I have utmost respect for Gov Daniels and our republican lawmakers (the democrats are all traitors and murderers of babies in my book) on this issue they are both delusional
Business is on a 24 hour basis now and no one really cares what time it is where they are ordering something from.
That said, if they insist on forcing this fiasco on us then they need to keep most of the state in the eastern time zone. DST was designed to provide more daylight later in the day. Being in the eastern zone gives us one more hour of daylight than being in the central zone does.
Neither side can offer anything other than anadotal evidence to support its case. The only real factor is that everyone else does it. I know that's a bad argument, but in this case, maybe viable.
What time does the 10 o'clock news come on?
10 and 11 p.m. depending on the station
let's hope that indiana can join the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries all at the same time
Leni
Where you from smartass?
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