As Iowans prepare to change their clocks back an hour this weekend, there’s an outside chance this will be the last time we’ll have to revert to daylight saving time.
Earlier this year, the U.S. House passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would abolish the annual practice of springing ahead and falling back.
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the measure has stalled in his chamber.
“If it did come up for a vote, I’m not sure how my Iowa constituents feel about it,” Grassley says. “I think farmers don’t like daylight saving time, but I can’t say that with certainty now. But I think over the last 50 years, I can say that’s been kind of their opinion.”
Grassley says this happened a few years ago, where legislation to make daylight saving time permanent passed the House but died in the Senate. He’s doubtful it will come up anytime soon.
“If I was just voting the way Chuck Grassley sees it for his own personal life, it just irritates me twice a year to change the clock, but I don’t think that that’s a very good reason to vote for it,” Grassley says. “I wanna hear more from my constituents.”
If this legislation were to go into effect, Iowa children would board their school buses in the dark during the winter months, while the sun would go down around six o’clock in the evening.
