Proposed amendment would make daylight saving permanent

The rising sun burns off the early morning fog in this photo in Mid-Missouri.
The rising sun burns off the early morning fog in this photo in Mid-Missouri.

If Missouri voters - and at least two of Missouri's eight neighboring states - agree, the shifting back and forth between daylight savings and standard times would end in 2018.

And Missouri would stay permanently on the "daylight" time, all year round.

"The changing back and forth from daylight savings time to standard time, back and forth and back and forth, is an archaic practice that serves no real purpose today," state Rep. Mike Kelley, R-Springfield, explained last week. "It's just a practice that, actually, causes a lot of different problems.

"Changing back and forth has been linked to increased heart attacks, has been linked to increased accidents - it's not good to upset people's sleep patterns and change things around.

"I think staying with one standard is the best."

So, for the second year, he's proposed an amendment to Missouri's Constitution that would make the "daylight savings" time the new, permanent "standard" time in the Show-Me State.

"From the surveys that I have done, and the articles that came out last year (when) we introduced this idea," Kelley said, "I believe the majority of people agree.

"Daylight Savings Time should stay year-round, and I think this is a proposal to help move us in the direction to make that happen."

The "first day of winter" in the Northern Hemisphere arrives Monday at 10:49 p.m. Central. It marks point when the sun hits its most southern point in relation to the Earth.

Often called the "shortest day of the year," there actually are three days that have the least amount of sunlight possible in the year - and this year, they are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with 9 hours, 28 minutes and 13 seconds each, according to sunrise-sunset charts.

But the latest sunrise actually occurs next month - at 7:27 a.m. in Jefferson City - on Jan. 3-8.

And, under Kelley's proposal, that would mean sunrise at 8:27 a.m. - after many people have to be at, or on their way, to work or school.

"You're going to have darkness whether the kids are at home, playing, or whether the kids are getting ready to go to school," Kelley said. "One way or the other, they're going to be outside in darkness.

"And, at least in the morning, in most cases you have parents who are there to keep an eye on them, and you have older siblings - you have a small percentage of young children who are going to be getting on that bus by themselves."

But, Kelley added, a large percentage of those kids are coming home by themselves, and many of them may want to go outside for activities when they get home.

"At this point, it's in the dark. So, obviously, once again - between those two options - I believe the early morning is a better option for that darkness than the evening," he said. "Kids need to have activity and they need to have exercise - and having more time when they get out of school to do activities in the actual sunlight, I think, is more beneficial."

Those are some of the same arguments that have been used for the summertime daylight savings time that Benjamin Franklin first proposed in 1784. And many have opposed the idea, even from the very beginning.

Kelley acknowledged some in agriculture have been opposed to the change.

But, he said: "One of the ag people told me, "Contrary to popular belief, no matter what time I say it is, the crops are going to grow and everything's going to be the same.'

"Talking with some dairy farmers, they said, "Thank you. My cows don't care when the time moves one way or the other - they still expect me to show up when they're used to me showing up.'

"They would love for it to stay one way or the other."

While agreeing support for his idea isn't universal, Kelley added: "As a whole, I received a much larger support of people in favor than I did people opposed."

And his proposal doesn't rely just on Missouri voters approving the idea, though.

Permanent daylight time wouldn't go into effect until at least two other, neighboring states also adopted it.

"We have to convince other states this is a great idea, and move together as a region," Kelley explained. "I know several (other states) have reached out of my office, asking - because of their interest last year - and those will be contacts that will be renewed once again during our upcoming legislative session."