Some Va. lawmakers say it’s time to eliminate daylight saving time
RICHMOND, Va. (VIRGINIA MERCURY) - If some lawmakers had their way, daylight saving time would have ended in Virginia years ago because of its disruptive and impractical nature.
The latest attempt to eliminate daylight saving time in the commonwealth came from Sen. Richard Stuart, R-Westmoreland, whose bill narrowly died on the Senate floor this January.
“If you can tell time, I think we’re gonna be just fine,” Stuart said. “We’re gonna get an extra hour in the evening when you come home from work. That way we don’t have to go to work in the dark, come home in the dark and it’s medically proven that we need to stop changing the time.”
While several lawmakers have agreed the elimination of daylight saving time could help businesses and improve health quality, opponents have voiced concerns it could cause chaos if surrounding states don’t adopt similar changes.
Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, told the Senate that “whatever we do, we need to standardize with our sister states, or otherwise those of us who are in interstate business, it’s going to be an ever-loving nightmare trying to keep track of this.”
Numerous efforts from other passionate daylight saving opposers like Dels. Joe McNamara, R-Roanoke, and Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper, have continued to be rejected by the General Assembly.
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