Wisconsin Lawmakers Seek Co-Sponsorship On Bill Relating To Daylight Saving Time

MADISON, WI — Wisconsin lawmakers are considering a bill to eliminate Daylight Saving Time (DST) and keep the state on standard time year-round.

A co-sponsorship memo, sent by Representative Gustafson and Senator Cabral-Guevara, highlights concerns over the negative impacts of DST transitions, including increased health risks, workplace injuries, and traffic accidents. Supporters argue that ending the biannual time change would improve public safety, mental health, and economic stability while aligning Wisconsin with other regions that have abandoned DST.

MEMO

The co-sponsorship memo is in regards to LRB 2451/1 and 2450/1.

Research shows the disruption caused by Daylight Saving Times (DST) transition can lead to increased risks, workplace injuries, and traffic accidents, as well as negative impacts on mental health and productivity. Anyone with children knows the weeks of the changes are some of the worst weeks of the year for kids.

This bill seeks to eliminate the practice of DST in Wisconsin, establishing a consistent standard time throughout the year. By ending twice a year time changes, this bill aims to promote public health, safety, and economic stability.

Furthermore, maintaining a fixed standard time aligns Wisconsin with states and regions that have already moved away from DST, fostering greater consistency for businesses, transportation, and interstate commerce.

We invite your cosponsorship of this commonsense measure to prioritize the well-being of our constituents and modernize Wisconsin’s approach to time.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill eliminates daylight saving time. Current law defines standard time and provides that daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and ends at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November of each year.

Federal law generally preempts states from deviating from standard time or eliminating daylight saving time, but federal law allows a state that lies entirely in one timezone, such as Wisconsin, to observe standard time instead of daylight saving time as long as the observation is throughout the entire state.