EAST DUNDEE – It's that time of year again, when the sun goes down around 5:00 PM, and folks do their best to adjust to Chicago's darkness. It's not easy for many to make that adjustment.
Recent news reports have highlighted some of the health risks associated with moving clocks forward and backward each year, which is one reason State Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-Crystal Lake) is continuing to push legislation he introduced earlier this spring to make Daylight Savings Time permanent in Illinois.
The legislation (HB 3837) states that after 2 am on the second Sunday of March 2020, clocks shall be moved forward one hour, and thereafter Daylight Savings Time would become the Standard Time in Illinois.
“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. “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.”
So far Arizona and Hawaii are the only two states to opt out of Daylight Savings Time.
“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 said. “If we can’t get this done during the Veto Session, we should move quickly to get it passed into law next spring.”
House Bill 3837 was introduced in May 2019, but Speaker Madigan has not assigned the bill to a legislative committee.
