State Rep. to study permanent standard time

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, has scheduled an interim study to discuss the potential benefits of moving the state to permanent Standard Time. He said his aim is to raise awareness among legislators about the history of Standard Time versus Daylight Saving Time.

IS23-062 is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, in Room 450 at the State Capitol, 2300 N Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City.

“There’s been great confusion in the past about whether or not Oklahoma can lock the clock and move to either Daylight Saving Time permanently or Standard Time,” West said. “There are strong beliefs on each side of this issue. My hope is to discuss Oklahoma’s options under federal regulations and to determine the pros and cons of any move so we can decide if future legislation would be needed or successful.”  

Study presenters include:

• Jay Pea, president and founder of Save Standard Time, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, donor-funded, volunteer-supported effort to preserve and extend the observation of longitudinally correct Standard Time.
• Jeffery Gentry, PhD, a professor of communication at Eastern New Mexico University, where he conducts research in political communication and the rhetoric of science.
• Robert Scott, a native Oklahoman and an aerospace engineer who holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Oklahoma State University.
• Dr. Karin Johnson, a professor of neurology at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School-Baystate and medical director of the Baystate Health Regional Sleep Program. She is vice-president of Save Standard Time and creator and host of its educational video series, “The Science of Clock Change.”