DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

ILLINOIS -  A proposed bill could potentially make Illinois exempt from the Daylight Savings change in Illinois. 

The bill summary states,

"Amends the Time Standardization Act. Provides that the State is exempt from the provisions of the federal Uniform Time Act of 1966 that establish daylight saving time."

While the daylight savings time change is loved by some, "It's kinda nice to get that extra hour, not this time obviously but in the fall, its nice to have the extra hour and it's brighter later so thats nice." One Champaign resident says. Others, aren't on the same page.

Another resident tells WAND News, "get rid of it, get rid of it, I don't want the sun setting at 3 pm in the winter, it sucks, my mood gets sad, it sucks." 

Lawmakers on the proposed bill say Daylight Savings is something for Illinoisans to have a discussion about.

"I don't think that Daylight Savings Time is necessarily evil, but I certainly think it's something that we can have a conversation with and see like is this just something that we don't need to use anymore in in 2021." Jonathan Caroll, State Representative for the 57th District, tells WAND News. 
 
Some residents say they don't see the need for the bill to pass.
 
"I think they should just keep it as it is, why change something that has been going on for many years." Says one Illinois resident. Another says, "I don't really have a preference, I think it's nice but I also think it's kinda weird to have a switch up in the hours."
 
Research says the time change is more detrimental to our health than we think. Representative Caroll says, "it's one of those things where our biological clocks get thrown off a little bit. If we stay consistent [with the time change], it could potentially cause us some of these sleep issues.">
 
Research published February 2020 in Current Biology states there is a 6% increase in fatal car crashed the week after the onset of Daylight savings. Another study shows there is a 24% increase in heart attack risk the Monday after the onset of Daylight Savings Spring time change.
 
Lawmakers say they want to bring more awareness to the cons of Daylight Savings. "Certainly on days like these days coming up here when we have to move the clocks backwards or forwards, I think people are like, God, the stakes are... this is so wrong." Representative Caroll tells WAND News. 
 
Officials say somethings you can do tonight to alleviate the start of Daylight Savings is to go to sleep earlier the day before the time change. 

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