By Bob Katzen
Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) announced her support for S 2157 – a bill that would make Atlantic Standard Time the standard year-round time in Massachusetts, and would put an end to the practice of switching between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time. This means that people would no longer change the clocks in the Spring and Fall. The change would only take effect if two or more neighboring states (Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island or Vermont) also adopt similar legislation.
Within 120 days of this new law taking effect, Gov. Maura Healey would be required to petition the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) to include Massachusetts within the Atlantic Standard Time Zone. Under current federal law, a state cannot simply unilaterally decide to change their time zone. Any change would have to be approved by the DOT.
Currently, 48 states have Daylight Saving – the exceptions being Hawaii and Arizona. Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March. On the first Sunday in November, areas on Daylight Saving Time return to Standard Time at 2 a.m. When Daylight Saving Time begins in the United States you turn your clocks ahead one hour (“Spring forward”). At the end of Daylight Saving Time, you turn your clocks back one hour (Fall back”).
“Observing Atlantic Standard Time year-round would decrease energy usage, reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes, car accidents and increase workplace productivity,” said sponsor Sen. John Keenan (D-Quincy). “Tom Emswiler, a constituent and dedicated expert on time zone policy, brought this issue to my attention. I’m pleased to see that his advocacy has helped spur action in the Legislature, a promising reminder of how engaged residents can help shed light on new ideas.”
Supporters of the bill say that several studies have shown that changing the clocks has demonstrable negative impacts on health including:
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health which says the time change is associated with an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, mood disturbances and hospital admissions; Stanford School of Medicine which finds that disruptions to the body’s circadian rhythm are associated with higher rates of stroke and obesity; and Northwestern Medicine which has linked the clock change to longer-term health effects, including depression, slowed metabolism, weight gain and cluster headaches.
House Speaker Ron Mariano’s office and Gov. Maura Healey’s office did not respond to requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking how the speaker and the governor feel about the bill.