SANTA FE – New Mexico would eliminate twice-annual seasonal time changes under a bill endorsed Friday by the New Mexico state Senate.
On a 22-18 vote, the Democrat-led Senate approved a bill that would keep New Mexico on daylight saving time throughout the year.
It was unclear if the House will bring the measure to a floor vote before the legislative session ends on March 20. Democratic House Speaker Brian Egolf was co-sponsor of a similar bill in 2015 that won Senate approval and stalled in the House without a vote.
Republican Sen. Cliff Pirtle, a dairy farmer from Roswell, has championed the initiative since 2013 without success, arguing that the time change is disruptive and that many people prefer to have extra daylight in the evening.
“The majority of people enjoy daylight savings time,” he said. “They enjoy that extra hour to play baseball.”
Democratic state Sen. Bobby Gonzales of Taos cast a “No” vote. He said the bill would result in children spending more time in freezing cold morning weather in northern New Mexico as they wait for school buses at sunrise.
“One hour makes a huge difference in the winter,” he said.
Pirtle said schools are in the best position to determine starting times for attendance.
For the bill to go into effect, the state would need to request an exemption from federal transportation authorities.
Hawaii, Arizona and several U.S. territories do not make adjustments for daylight saving.
Daylight saving adjustments do take place at the Navajo Nation that encompasses portions of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
