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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – A bill to keep Oklahoma from changing the clock twice a year has been approved by the full Senate.

Senator Blake Stephens, R-Tahlequah, wrote Senate Bill 7 to “lock the clock” in Daylight Saving Time (DST) year round. This is a “trigger law” that would go into effect once the Sunshine Protection Act was passed by Congress.

According to Sen. Stephens, the bill relies on the Sunshine Protection Act to be passed at the federal level before it can be enacted in Oklahoma. The Act gives states the authorization to decide to permanently adopt DST or to keep standard time.

“Oklahoma needs to be on the right side of this issue,” Stephens said. “Locking the clock in DST has countless benefits, and will result in our state being safer, healthier, more productive, and more profitable. Overall, this will improve the quality of life for all Oklahomans. I’d like to thank my colleagues for their support on this measure and look forward to the day we permanently lock Oklahoma’s clock.”

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Oklahoma Politics

Officials say almost half of the states have already decided to stop their clock, with 19 choosing DST.

SB 7 will now go to the House of Representatives for further review.

“In less than two weeks, we change time again, and I encourage all Oklahomans to pay attention to how they feel with the extra hour of daylight and to take note of everything they can accomplish during that extra evening hour after school or work,” Stephens said.