Great day in this glorious North Texas morning! The United States Senate has voted unanimously — via voice vote — to enact a law making Daylight Saving Time a permanent policy.
No more switching back and forth, springing forward in the spring and falling back in the fall.
Let me stipulate, though, that I never have had a strenuous objection to this twice-per-year time change. I learned long ago to let my body adjust to the time change.
However, if given the choice between having permanent Standard Time or permanent Daylight Saving Time, I much prefer the latter. I like the extended daylight in the afternoon.
The Texas Legislature tried a couple of sessions ago to enact a statewide policy change. It sought to put the matter to a vote: either keep the back/forth or switch to one time schedule or the other. Had I been given the chance to vote on it, I would have opted to keep the plan as is. It didn’t get out of the Legislature, which ran out of time; lawmakers were too busy dawdling around with other foolishness to finish work on the legislation in time.
The U.S. House of Representatives now must decide. It ought to follow the clear and distinct lead set by their Senate colleagues and go along with the change to permanent DST, which would be effective in 2023.
It’s remarkable that the Senate — given its deep divisions on damn near everything — would be so united on this matter.