For years, Texas lawmakers tried to do away with daylight saving time. And just last week, a joint resolution passed the house, giving it more momentum.
The proposition comes in two parts. The first part, House Joint Resolution 117, decides if there will be a referendum in place to make a decision on getting rid of daylight saving time. This has to pass in order for the next question to be considered.
The second part of the legislative plan is for voters– should Texas stay on daylight saving time or standard time?
Here is the difference.
If Texas stayed on daylight saving time year-round, clocks would remain pushed forward, and the sun would set later in the summer, as it does now. However, when other states shift their clocks back from November to March, Texas would not, meaning residents would have longer days in the winter too. During that time period, Texas would be on Eastern Standard Time.
However, if Texas chose Standard Time, when it is time to shift clocks forward between March and November, Texas would not make that change. This means the sun would rise earlier in the morning, and during those months, the state would be on Mountain Standard Time. Between November and March, the time would sit at what it does now.
If either of these options became a reality, here are a couple ways residents could see the impact.
Depending on the option chosen, prime time television shows would shift by an hour.
Time zones would also constantly change depending on the time of year. For example, right now, Oklahoma is in the same time zone as Lubbock. If a flight was booked from Lubbock to Oklahoma anytime between November and May, the flight would land at the same time as it took off. That is because Oklahoma would have shifted their clock and Texas did not.
The proposed bill still has to make it through a senate committee and pass a vote on the senate floor, before it gets the stamp of approval. If this happens, voters will get their chance to make their choice during November elections.
