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New Mexico Senate Approves Year-Round Daylight Saving Time

  Santa Fe- “Stop the outdated practice.” “We want to be pioneers.” “We want to show the federal government that there is no reason to change our clocks.”

Those were the opening statements State Senator Cliff Pirtle made on his bill to keep New Mexico on Daylight Savings Time year around. It is one of the most talked about bill of the session.

In closing, Senator Pirtle  said while legislators took some of the debate lightly,  he said it is a serious issue that affects New Mexico families. 

The Senate passed the bill 28-10. It now goes to the House.

If the bill passes the House, and is signed into law, it does not mean the time will be permanently set. The federal government would have the final say.

The bill requires the governor, prior to January 1, 2016 to apply to the United States Secretary of Transportation to have New Mexico transferred to the Central Time Zone.

Senator Pirtle said he found that a governor could make the request to the federal government without the legislation.

Senator Pirtle said 14 other states have introduced bills not to change their clocks.

SB 377a would keep New Mexico on Mountain Daylight Saving Time permanently.   The state would not fall back to Standard Time for only four months in the fall, under SB 377a. “No one likes changing clocks twice a year, so let’s stop doing it.” Senator Cliff Pirtle of Roswell said.  

Information from New Mexico Senate Republicans