Illinois Senate Votes to Make Daylight Permanent

By Hirsch Ptyc

SPRINGFIELD - After the recent daylight savings time switch left millions of Illinoisians facing early sunsets and long stretches of darkness during the upcoming winter, calls went up across the state for change. Well lawmakers must have been listening, because the Illinois State Senate just voted to make daylight permanent.

"Like many other people in my town, I wasn't happy to see the sun dip below the horizon at 4 p.m. the day after the clocks changed," said State Senator Andy Manar (D-Springfield), author of the legislation. "That is why I wrote a bill that would make it illegal for the sun to go away for any period of time, regardless of what time of year it is."

While the measure is through the Senate, it still must pass the House, where opposition to the bill is expected to be stronger. Sources indicate that critics might delay passage of the bill until next spring, but Chief House Sponsor Jonathan Carroll (D-Northbrook) says he's hopeful all potential problems with making daylight permanent will be ironed out over the next few weeks.

"A lot of my colleagues have come to me and told me this is a great piece of legislation, but they're worried it isn't enforceable," said Carroll. "That is why I am writing an amendment to give the Illinois State Police a rocketship and some fireproof handcuffs. If the sun tries to leave the sky, we can just send the police to go arrest it."

If Governor J.B. Pritzker signs the measure, it would make Illinois the first state to pass a law regulating the sun since New Jersey banned the celestial body in 1927.