Maine time zone change moving forward
Photo / James McCarthy
Portland's Time & Temperature Building on Congress Street wouldn't face the twice-yearly shifts in time if a bill to adopt year-round the Atlantic Time Zone is approved by Maine's Legislature.
Lawmakers in both the Maine House and Senate have given preliminary approval to a bill that would eliminate Daylight Saving Time in Maine and put the state in a different time zone than most East Coast states.
The Bangor Daily News reported that the Maine House of Representatives approved the measure 91-48 on Tuesday, agreeing with the Senate’s preliminary passage last week that a time zone change also would need approval by voters in a statewide referendum.
LD 203, the bill proposed by Rep. Donna Bailey, D-Saco, also stipulates that Maine’s time zone change would be contingent on New Hampshire and Massachusetts also making the change.
The bill now faces enactment votes, the newspaper reported, adding that the House vote tally is not sufficient to override the veto that Gov. Paul LePage has promised if the measure comes to his desk for a signature.
In her written testimony supporting the bill, Bailey stated that studies have “concluded that extended Daylight Savings Times saves energy, reduces crime, saves lives and reduces traffic accidents.”
If Bailey’s bill ends up becoming law, Maine would be in the Atlantic Standard Time Zone year-round, putting it in alignment with Nova Scotia and portions of eastern Canada.
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