Bill To Kill Time Changes Dies On Tied Wyoming Senate Votes

A bill that could have eventually led to Wyoming staying on Mountain Daylight Time year-round has died after a couple of 15-15 votes in the Wyoming Senate.

House Bill 14 initially failed to pass the Wyoming Senate on an introductory vote 15-15. A motion to reconsider the bill Thursday garnered the same result, essentially killing the proposal for the 2019 session.

The 2019 session will mark the fourth consecutive session of the Wyoming Legislature in which a proposal to do away with time changes has failed to win legislative approval.

This bill was different than previous proposals in that it would have required three states contiguous to Wyoming to decide to go on Mountain Daylight Time year-round before Wyoming would have asked for permission from the federal government to do so as well.

House Bill 14 had passed the Wyoming House this session as well as a Senate committee before meeting its demise on Thursday afternoon.

Supporters of doing away with the time changes point to numerous studies showing accidents and even heart attacks increase in the days following the time changes. They also say the practice is an outdated tradition that disrupts sleep schedules for no valid reason.

Those who like the current time changes claim they "help farmers" and say most people like the twice-a year-tradition. Some opponents of House Bill 14 specifically also said it would cause school kids to have to go to school in the dark.