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This Could Be The Last Time We Set Our Clocks Forward In California

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — This weekend it'll be time to spring the clocks forward one hour for daylight saving time.

Many people are wondering why we're still changing the clocks after Californians voted to pass Proposition 7 back in November. Nearly 60 percent of voters agreed that they don't want to keep changing the clocks twice a year, joining Hawaii and Arizona as states that do not recognize the time change.

Proposition 7 passed in November 59.8%-40.2%.

So could this be the last time we change our clocks? Maybe.

The passage of Prop 7 allows lawmakers to pass a law to permanently set California's standard time to year-round daylight saving time. Assemblymembers Kansen Chu (D-25th District), Lorena Gonzalez (D-80th District) and Jay Obernolte (R-33rd District) introduced Assembly Bill 7 in December.

Before the law takes effect it would need to be authorized by the federal government.

AB 7 would need a vote of a two-thirds majority. The bill has not yet been voted on by lawmakers, it has been referred to a committee.

If that happens, the bill states:

"Effective immediately after federal law authorizes the state to apply year-round daylight saving time, the standard time within the state shall advance by one hour commencing at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of the March following the effective date of the federal authorization. Subsequently, notwithstanding subdivision (b), the daylight saving time period will not end and will apply year-round."

For those still confused, the time we observe currently from mid-March until early November would become the time we observe year-round. So the sun would stay out longer, but also rise later. For instance, if we adopt a year-round clock, the sun won't rise until 8:22 am on Christmas, and it won't set until 5:50 pm. Currently, on Christmas Day 2019 the sun will rise at 7:22 am and set at 4:50 pm.

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