The Oregon Senate has given its approval to a bill that proposes the implementation of Standard Time throughout the year. However, this would only happen if California and Washington also agree to the change.
Senate Bill 1548 proposes a measure that would allow residents of Oregon in the Pacific Time Zone to observe standard time throughout the year. This would mean permanently eliminating the practice of Daylight Saving Time, a move that is already in effect in Hawaii and Arizona.
Testimony from the public emphasized that the lack of a synchronized timezone between Portland and Vancouver, Wash. could potentially have a detrimental impact on daily commuters traveling between the two cities.
After making changes to the bill, which now mandates the agreement of both California and Washington, it successfully passed through the Senate. However, the three states have until March 2034 to implement the required change.
In 2019, a decision was made stating that Oregon could only permanently switch to Daylight Saving Time if California and Washington made the same decision by 2029. However, this bill did not pass at the federal level.
The Oregon House is the next destination for the newly introduced bill.
