A proposed bill in the U.S. House to make daylight saving time permanent could end the twice-a-year clock change, but it would mean that Iowa stays on “spring forward” all year long. Each March, Hamilton County residents move the clocks ahead one hour marking the start of Daylight-Saving Time giving us later sunsets each evening. In November, the clocks “fall back” one hour with the return of Central Standard Time with earlier sunrises and earlier sunsets during the winter season. Standard Time will continue until Sunday, November 1st. Under the proposed legislation, Iowa would no longer “fall back” each November and would instead remain on daylight saving time all year-round. Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull voted in favor to make daylight saving time permanent. The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate for debate and action. In Webster City under the current system as an example the sunrise on December 21st will be at 7:41 a.m. with the sunset time at 4:45 p.m. If the bill becomes law, those will shift one hour later. The Webster City sunrise would be at 8:41 a.m. with sunset at 5:45 p.m. With the time change, it would mean school students will board the school buses in the dark each morning in the winter. This was similar to a time back in the winter of 1974 when daylight time started on January 6th of that year due to the global oil crisis. There were protests by parents on the change for the safety of their students. No date has been set for the vote in the U.S. Senate on keeping daylight time permanent.
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