Skillicorn Wants Permanent Daylight Saving Time In Illinois

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — State Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-Crystal Lake) continues pushing legislation to make Daylight Saving Time permanent in Illinois. According to a news release from Skillicorn's team, one of the reasons he's sponsoring the legislation he introduced earlier this spring (HB 3837) is due to recent news reports highlighting some of the health risks associated with moving clocks forward and backward each year. The legislation states that after 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March 2020, clocks shall be moved forward one hour, and thereafter Daylight Saving Time would become the Standard Time in Illinois, according to the release.

“Sleep is an important part of our overall health and there seems to be growing evidence that moving our clocks back in the Fall and forward in the Spring disrupts our sleep patterns,” Skillicorn said, in the news release. “Additionally, losing daylight in the afternoon can have adverse effects on mental health. There is no question that changing our clocks twice per year messes with our daily routines and just when we get used to the time change – it is time to change our clocks again.”

House Bill 3837 has been introduced but hasn't been assigned to a legislative committee, according to the release.

“I think there will be renewed interest in the idea of embracing permanent Daylight Savings Time in Illinois given the health concerns being raised,” Skillicorn stated, in the release. “If we can’t get this done during the Veto Session, we should move quickly to get it passed into law next spring.”

As of November 2019, Arizona and Hawaii are the only two states to opt out of Daylight Saving Time.

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