State Senate OKs bill backing permanent daylight saving time

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington state Senate has approved a bill that supports states remaining on daylight saving time.

The state House recently voted to ask Congress to let Washington skip returning to standard time every fall.

The Spokesman-Review reported on Wednesday that the state Senate followed with a proposal of its own. But an amendment to the Senate bill also calls for a referendum on the change to be put on the November ballot.

Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, the bill’s prime sponsor, says he has been working on avoiding the semiannual clock change for years because studies show there are more accidents, heart attacks and strokes after such a change.

The House and Senate now will try to work out a compromise on differences between the two bills before the scheduled end of the session April 28.

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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com