Indiana legislator mulls switch to daylight-saving time

Daylight-saving time might get the time of day in the General Assembly, thanks to Rep. Bob Kuzman, D-Crown Point.\nKuzman, who chairs the House Public Policy Committee, said he will allow consideration of a shift -- as long as it's to the Central Time Zone. \nIt's Kuzman's call. For such legislation to go anywhere, he has to grant it a hearing. \nRepresenting constituents in the Chicago area, Kuzman previously rejected the idea of lifting the state's exemption, expressing the fear that it would bring the western edge of the state into Eastern time zone. \nMost of the state is in the Eastern time zone, and five counties near Cincinnati and Louisville already observe Eastern daylight-saving time without explicit legal authority. Counties along the Illinois border in the northwest and southwest Indiana observe daylight-saving time under the Central time zone.\nWhile the state legislature can enact daylight-saving time on its own, it would have to petition the U.S. Congress for a time zone shift. \nKuzman is still weighing his options on House Bill 1413, which has more momentum this session than in years past. But he said he won't give ground on one point.\n"I will not seriously consider any option that would result in northwest Indiana moving into the Eastern time zone."\nHe said his chief concern is that the interests of his constituents are protected, Kuzman said.\n"It makes no sense to have places like Lake and Porter Counties go on to Eastern time, simply because of our proximity to Chicago," he said. "Thousands of people live in Indiana and work in Illinois, so I think it would be wrong to force them into a situation where they have to operate on two separate clocks every day of the year."\nHe said he plans on making a final decision in the next few days.\nThe bill's author, Tiny Adams, D-Muncie, said he remains optimistic.\n"I hope that Kuzman sees what I'm trying to do with this bill," he said. "I'm trying to move Indiana forward and do what's right for the state of Indiana." \nSupporters -- including businesses and law enforcement officials -- said they would be happy as long as Indiana's clocks are synchronized with the rest of the nation. Arizona and Hawaii are the only other states with a daylight-saving exemption.\n"The first and foremost objective is observance of daylight-saving time," said Brian Williams, executive director of TechNet Indiana, a consortium of high tech companies lobbying for the change. "We don't want to be operating on a cultural or economic island."\nThe daylight-saving supporters said it is a general cure-all.\n"Indiana is the only state in the nation whose legislature can with a single vote create a stronger economy, save tax dollars and energy costs, reduce crime, make our streets safer and improve quality of life," said Lynn Youngblood, provost of the University of Indianapolis. "And all at no cost."\nOn the business end, Williams said it would boost retail sales and rid confusion in following stock markets and scheduling flights. Such problems, Williams said, would be avoided if Indiana were in synch with the rest of the country.\nEven if the bill reaches the House floor, it will be met with opposition, headed by the farm lobby. They prefer to work from sunset to sundown, said Robert Kraft, spokesman of the Indiana Farm Bureau.\n"We\'re not going to let someone in Washington who runs time zones tell us what time it is in Indiana," he said. "We can tell what time it is here on our own"