Oregon's governor plans to sign a bill that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent there as part of an effort among several West Coast states.
A proposal approved by the state legislature earlier this week would abolish the one-hour time change from standard time to Daylight Saving Time for the state, except in the areas of Oregon that are within the Mountain Time Zone.
The bill now heads to Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, who plans to sign it, according to her spokeswoman, Kate Kondayen.
Even with Brown's approval, however, the proposal would still need to clear several other hurdles before it could take effect.
First, the legislation mandates that it would not go into effect unless both California and Washington approve similar laws. Last month, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law a bill that allows the state to observe Daylight Saving Time year-round, and in California, voters approved a ballot measure last year that allows the state's legislature to make Daylight Saving Time permanent by a two-thirds vote. A bill is currently making its way through the legislature.
Should the two states, as well as Oregon, approve such laws, they would then need authorization from Congress to become exempt from the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which established the system of uniform Daylight Saving Time throughout the US.
If Oregon clears those hurdles, it would join Hawaii and most of Arizona, which are currently exempt from the 1966 act.
Last year, then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott approved a bill making Daylight Saving Time permanent in the state , but the change has not yet become finalized.
Support for the idea of making Daylight Saving Time permanent has increased in recent years, with President Donald Trump tweeting earlier this year that the idea is "O.K. with me," and Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, leading efforts last year and this year to make it permanent nationwide.
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