Res. No. 796

Resolution calling on Congress to amend the Uniform Time Act of 1966 to allow states to opt in to year-round Daylight Saving Time, and calling on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation that allows New York State to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.

By The Speaker (Council Member Johnson) and Council Members Brannan, Levine and Powers

Whereas, Daylight Saving Time (DST) was created to help make better use of daylight hours by shifting the clock forward in the Spring and backwards in the Fall; and

Whereas, The idea of DST has been credited to Benjamin Franklin, who wrote in an essay entitled, “An Economical Project,” where he addressed how natural versus artificial lighting affects the economy; and

Whereas, The United States (U.S.) began using DST in 1918 when the Senate and the House of Representatives passed a joint resolution to adopt DST to conserve energy; and

Whereas, The law was very unpopular with the public and was soon repealed; and

Whereas, In 1942, the Senate and the House of Representatives passed a joint resolution to adopt DST in order to conserve energy during World War II from 1942, until that was repealed in 1945; and

Whereas, After World War II, there was no uniform law regarding DST so individual states had the liberty to choose whether DST would be observed, which caused much confusion for the broadcasting, airline, railroad and bus companies having to publish new schedules every time a state began or ended DST; and

Whereas, In order to simplify the official pattern of where and when DST would apply throughout the U.S., President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which created DST nationally to commence on the last Sunday of April and end on the last Sunday of October, and allowing states to exempt out of DST by passing their own state law; and

Whereas, The Uniform Time Act of 1966 was amended in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, extending the yearly DST period in the U.S. by several weeks beginning in 2007, with DST beginning on the second Sunday of March and ending on the first Sunday in November; and

Whereas, Currently, 31 states are considering changing some aspect of DST, such as Florida, California, Oregon and Washington, which would require amendment of the Uniform Time Act of 1966; and

Whereas, The benefits and drawbacks of DST have long been debated since its inception; and

Whereas, Supporters of DST state that longer hours of daylight promote outdoor leisure activities in the evening, benefit physical and psychological health, reduce traffic accidents and crime, promote tourism and helps boost the local economy; and

Whereas, According to researchers at the Brookings Institution, DST could save approximately $59 million per year in crime prevention by reducing the number of evening robberies; and

Whereas, Researchers have also found an increase in heart attacks, workplace injuries and traffic accidents after the days of the clock change, due to the disruptions in sleep; and

Whereas, Allowing states to have year-round DST would cause less confusion, reduce the risks of stroke and seasonal depression and would benefit the overall health of New Yorkers while in turn promoting economic growth; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon Congress to amend the Uniform Time Act of 1966 to allow states to opt in to year-round Daylight Saving Time, and calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation that allows New York State to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. 

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LS# 10271

3/22/19 6:41PM