Time Zone Report

Following Daylight Saving Time legislation in the US

MA Bill for Annual DST-related Proclamations

Massachusetts bill SD 514 addresses issues relating to Daylight Saving Time in a unique way.

Far short of actually changing how the state observes DST, this bill would require the governor to issue proclamations annually during the week DST starts and during the week DST ends.

According to the initial text of the bill, at the beginning of DST:

The governor shall annually issue a proclamation setting apart the second week of March as Massachusetts Sleep Awareness Week, and the Sunday at the beginning of Daylight Savings Time, so called as Massachusetts Sleep Awareness Day and recommending that such week be properly observed as a period of special attention to the problems of sleep deprivation and fatigue such as: impaired reaction time, judgment and vision; problems with information processing and short-term memory; decreased performance, vigilance and motivation; increased moodiness and aggressive behaviors; and, especially, the dangers of driving under the influence of sleep deprivation or fatigue.

And at the end of DST:

The governor shall annually issue a proclamation setting apart the second week of November as Massachusetts Drowsy Driving Prevention Week and recommending that such week be properly observed as a period of special attention to the need for public awareness and action relative to the problems of drowsy driving and driver fatigue. For purposes of this section “drowsy driving” or “driver fatigue” shall mean driving while being “sleepy,” “tired,” “drowsy,” or “exhausted.”

So I have a category of bill tracking called “Proclamations” which I’ll list this under.  And while it’s nice to remind citizens of the state about potential dangers, it’s better for them to actually try to remediate the dangers.

Updated: January 18, 2017 — 6:25 am

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time Zone Report, a service of GoodClix, Inc. © 2015 Frontier Theme