State Commission Weighs Dropping Daylight Savings Time

It's with more than a little irony that a commission ordered to discuss switching Massachusetts off Eastern Standard Time meets Wednesday — a few months behind schedule.

Last summer, the state commission was ordered to study the long-discussed possibility of doing away with daylight savings time, putting us an hour ahead of surrounding states four months out of every year. We would still align with surrounding states in spring and summer.

The argument in favor of the switch is that Massachusetts would enjoy longer daylight hours in the winter.

Massachusetts jumps an hour behind on the first Sunday of November. Clocks jump an hour ahead on the second Sunday or March. Under the proposal, the clocks wouldn't be reset at all during that four-month period.

An order to study the idea was tucked into a state economic development bill passed last summer. Their task: determine the impact of staying on Eastern Standard Time versus Atlantic Standard Time. Commission members tasked with looking at how such a change might impact everything from trade to public health. At the time, those discussions were supposed to begin by November.

Members were originally tasked with reporting back in full by July 31, 2017, but the delayed start-date may push that back, too. Once reported out, those results shuffle to another committee, where they could produce a formal proposal to change state law, or simply die.

The 11-member commission meets for the first time Wednesday at 11 a.m.

We know our readers have strong opinions on this. So, tell us! What do you think? Should Massachusetts make the switch? Email alison.bauter@patch.com, or share your opinion in the comments.

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