The Bill was most recently heard on Mar 12 in the Committee on State Government Finance and Policy and Elections and later on Mar 14 in the Committee on Local Government where it was recommended to pass.
This bill is apart of a larger movement to make daylight savings time the new standard time, as spearheaded federally by Senator Marco Rubio (R- Florida). Currently, federal law prohibits states from adding time to the daylights savings period but allows for more time to be added to the standard time.
Sen. Kiffmeyer identified a wide variety of concerns surrounding the changing of clocks each fall and spring in the state of Minnesota. She cited on Mar 13 a 2009 study that examined data on over 500,000 mining injuries from 1983 to 2006. “a 5.7 percent increase [in workplace injuries] on the Monday following the time change” was found, said Sen. Kiffmeyer. Furthermore, “the injuries were more severe, leading to a 68 percent increase in the number of workdays missed.”
Additionally, Sen. Kiffmeyer noted a study in the American Economic Journal that “found a 6 percent increase in crashes immediately after people reset their clocks in the spring which amounted to more than 300 deaths.”
“Flipping back and forth between Daylight Savings Time and standard time has a demonstrated negative impact on Minnesota with a statistical rise in car crashes, days missed from work, heart attacks and workplace injuries immediately surrounding the change” Sen. Kiffmeyer summarized. This chaotic transition every fall and spring could now be easily avoided with the passage of SF 1416.
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Megan Olson
Megan Olson is a 2020 graduate of the University of Minnesota with degrees in political science and history. She works in public affairs in addition to serving on the Legislative Advisory Council for School District 196. She is also on the school board for FIT academy, a charter school in Apple Valley.
