BISMARCK (North Dakota Monitor/By Amy Dalrymple) – North Dakotans would no longer need to change their clocks for daylight saving time under a bill approved Tuesday by House lawmakers.
The House voted 55-37 to approve House Bill 1259, which would keep the state on standard time year-round. The bill does not affect time zones.
Rep. Desiree Morton, R-Fargo, said legislators heard testimony in support of the bill that pointed to adverse health effects of changing clocks twice a year.
“These changes can take several weeks to adjust to and often put parents and kids into a sleep debt, causing mental and physical fatigue, especially the parents,” Morton said.
She also referenced a national poll that shows growing support for eliminating daylight saving time.
Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot, said construction workers often start work early in the summer to avoid the heat, and eliminating daylight saving time would make work safer by providing more daylight early in the morning.
Ruby also pointed out that North Dakota’s neighbor to the north, Saskatchewan, is on standard time year-round.
Rep. Mike Schatz, R-New England, said he opposed the bill after talking to a farmer who said the change would make it harder to get people to come to work early in the mornings.
Rep. Bernie Satrom, R-Jamestown, said he doesn’t like the proposal because he enjoys having an extra hour of daylight in the summer to play with kids and grandkids in the evening.
North Dakota lawmakers have previously considered similar bills, most recently in 2021, when the proposal was defeated in the House.
The bill advances to the Senate for further consideration.
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