NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As people across the state get ready to "spring forward" into Daylight Saving Time, state lawmakers are hoping this will be the last time Tennesseans have to change their clocks.
Two bills are working through the state capitol that would keep Tennessee in Daylight Saving Time your-round.
"What we're talking about is doing away with the fall back component, so we would stay in Daylight Saving Time year round," Sen. Steven Dickerson (R-Nashville) said. Dickerson introduced the Senate version of the bill.
The bill is far from a new idea. Versions of a Daylight Saving Bill have been discussed at the state capitol for years, including last year, when Dickerson introduced a similar proposal. But he said this year feels different as the bill has more support both inside the legislature and outside of it.
"There's dramatic support for this, it's one of the bills that I've introduced that's got the quickest, most positive support," he said.
While it sounds like a simple switch, it comes with a lot of complications. Tennessee falls in two different time zones and borders eight different states, tied for the most neighboring states in the nation. Critics worry that not observing Daylight Saving Time will lead to issues for businesses who work in Tennessee as well as nearby states. It could also post problems for commuters. Thousands of people live in bordering states, like Kentucky, and work in Tennessee.
"It would be really complex for us to have two time zones in Tennessee, and then have to change every six months, the other states would change and we'd stay the same," Dickerson said. To ease those complications, Dickerson said he wants to add a provision where a change for Tenn. would only go into effect if at least half of the state's neighbors also opted out of Daylight Saving Time. Dickerson said it sounds far off, but there are already proposals at the national level to do away with Daylight Saving Time, and recently the Florida legislature passed a bill similar to the ones in Tennessee.
