Meeting Public Comments

Names and comments are public records. Remaining information is considered a confidential record.

Comments Submitted:

02-21-2023

Jay Pea [Save Standard Time]

Oppose HF242 (pDST Harms Children, Farmers). Amend to pST.Dear Honorable Representatives,Regarding the hearing on Wednesday, February 22, in the House Committee on State Government: Please oppose HF242. Permanent Daylight Saving Time harms schoolchildren, farmers, and many others. Please recommend its amendment to permanent Standard Time.Permanent DST would delay Iowas sunrise to 8:58am, and past 8am up to 4.0 months. If constituents were asked to let government set their alarm clocks an hour early all winter, they would refusebut thats what this bill would force them to do.Permanent DST cost childrens lives when last tried in the US, and it has failed in other countries too. Its forced early waking on unnaturally dark mornings increases depression, accidents, heart disease, stroke, cancer, sports injuries, and failures in school. It would disrupt the business of farmers, ranchers, construction workers, essential workers, radio broadcasters, commuters, and others who need morning sunlight.Permanent Standard Time (natural time, Gods Time) instead would keep sunrise before 8am for health, safety, and prosperity. It is federally approved; it can end unpopular clock changes more quickly than permanent DST. Permanent Standard Time is consistently supported by professional public polling. Its the clock observed in Arizona, Hawaii, all five US territories, Mexico, and most of the world.Dozens of nonprofits and hundreds of doctors and journalists oppose permanent DST and endorse permanent Standard, including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Neurology, American College of Chest Physicians, National Safety Council, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, National Sleep Foundation, National PTA, American College of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, writers from Bloomberg, Cato, and the Daily Wire, and many more.A full letter from my nonprofit, which includes local photos and expert statements, is attached.Thank you for your consideration,JayJay PeaPresidentSave Standard Time501(c)(4) Nonprofitsavestandardtime.com4154843458PS: I was born and raised in rural Iowa, where most of my family still live, thank you.

Attachment

02-21-2023

Marla Shapiro []

I am writing as an Iowa Licensed Psychologist and the only Board Certified Behavioral Sleep Medicine provider in the state of Iowa. I was caught off guard and so disappointed, frankly, to see that another bill supporting Permanent Daylight Savings Time (DST) has been proposed. While I wholeheartedly agree that the twice yearly clock changes pose risk for mental and physical health, the science of sleep and many major national medical and sleep related professional organizations overwhelmingly and unequivocally support a switch to PERMANENT STANDARD TIME instead. (Note, too, that permanent STANDARD TIME can be implemented much more quickly than permanent DST since its already federally approved, and it is also the clock observed time in most of the rest of the world, plus all 5 US territories, Mexico, Arizona and Hawaii.)Governor Reynolds supported creation of a school mental health center at the University of Iowa explicitly to address and reduce rates of teen suicide and depression. We mental health providers are struggling enough to address the rising mental health crisis among our Iowa youth, with recent research reflecting increased health care costs associated with sleep disorders nationally in the billions of dollars annually. Please don't stoke these issues further OPPOSE HF242 and AMEND it to propose a switch to PERMANENT STANDARD TIME INSTEAD.For more information, please see https://aasm.org/aasmexpertsadvocateforpermanentstandardtimeaheadoffallback/#::text=According%20to%20the%20experts%20at,public's%20overall%20health%20and%20safety., https://sleepresearchsociety.org/sleepresearchsocietypositionstatementsupportsadoptionpermanentstandardtime/, and https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.9392