HR119

WHEREAS, the main purpose of Daylight Saving Time is to make better use of daylight by creating longer summer evenings; and

WHEREAS, historically, Daylight Saving Time was conceived as a means to reduce the use of fuel for lighting, especially in times where the use of fuel was necessary for other pressing matters, such as during World War I and World War II; and

WHEREAS, studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation show that Daylight Savings Time reduces the entire country's electricity usage by a small, but significant, amount due to less demand for lighting and appliances during the longer daylight hours; and

WHEREAS, the new federal law coming into effect this year would push the end of Daylight Savings Time to the first Sunday in November; and

WHEREAS, observing Daylight Saving Time under the new federal law would provide some interesting benefits, including: providing young trick or treaters with more light, and therefore, more safety from traffic accidents on Halloween; the possibility of increased voter turnout in future general elections as in some future years, the end of Daylight Saving Time will fall after the election day; less violent crime, as a study by the U.S. Law Enforcement Assistance Administration found that crime rates were consistently lower during periods of Daylight Saving Time by as much as ten to thirteen percent; and

WHEREAS, perhaps the most important reason for observing Daylight Saving Time, but admittedly the hardest to measure, is the potential for working parents to be able to spend more time with their children after work as opposed to missing out on raising their children due to work schedules; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that this body requests the Legislative Reference Bureau to study the viability of the state observing Daylight Saving Time; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to report the results of the study and suggested legislation, if any, to the House of Representatives no later than twenty days prior to the opening of the 2008 Regular Session; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Legislative Reference Bureau.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Daylight Saving Time; study and suggested legislation

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	119
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII