Permanent daylight saving time bill gets renewed push

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In a little more than a week, most of the U.S. will take part in the ritual, changing the clocks ahead an hour for daylight saving time.

However, on both the state level and on the national level, efforts are underway to get rid of the practice of changing the clocks.

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act Thursday. The bill has bipartisan support and is led by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. It would keep the U.S. on daylight saving time all year.

“One has to ask themselves, after a while, why do we keep doing it?” Rubio said. “Why are we doing this?”

Rubio’s bill passed the Senate with unanimous support last year, but it stalled in the House, so the process is starting all over again.

At the Roundhouse, Sen. Cliff Pirtle of Roswell and Sen. Bobby Gonzales of Taos introduced competing bills to end the practice of changing the clocks.

Gonzales’ bill would keep New Mexico on standard time all year. His bill hasn’t moved in the Senate.

Pirtle’s bill aims to keep New Mexico permanently on daylight saving time.

“The vast majority of people that message me, that’s the time that they prefer, you know, I say all the time, summertime all the time,” Pirtle said.

Pirtle’s bill cleared its first hurdle in the Senate, and is currently with the Senate Judiciary Committee.

BILL TRACKER

• Track SB 191, sponsored by Sen. Gonzales
• Track SB 287, sponsored by Sen. Pirtle