As national bill on daylight saving time advances, Denverites feel mixed emotions
Federal law currently prevents states from adopting permanent daylight saving time unless Congress changes the rules. That possibility moved one step closer this week after the U.S. House passed the Sunshine Protection Act, sending the measure to the Senate.
If the bill becomes law and is signed by the president, Colorado will stop changing its clocks twice a year and remain on daylight saving time year-round.
The proposal has sparked mixed reactions across the state.
For Denver watchmaker, Ming Ngo, owner of Gold and Time, it could mark the end of a tradition he's been part of for more than four decades.
Since opening his business in 1983, Ngo has spent every spring and fall helping customers adjust their watches free of charge. While it is a simple task, he says it has become a familiarity.
However, what has not been so easy, he says, is watching the repair business slow as more people rely on smartphones instead of wristwatches or clocks.
"Business is not good; it is getting slower and slower," said Ngo.
Even if permanent daylight saving time means fewer customers stopping in to reset their watches, Ngo says he is ready to leave the twice-yearly clock changes behind.
"I don't like it, I like to stay at one time," he said.
Ngo believes sticking to one time year-round would make life easier, saying the time changes disrupt people's routines and can take several days to adjust to.
"Because you're changing back and forth, you have to adjust your body for a few days, you feel off," he said.
People across Denver are divided on whether they want to see the seasonal clock changes disappear.
"I would like them to change it. That's my opinion, so I am for it," said one resident named Brad.
Another resident expressed that they support permanent daylight-saving time because it will give them more flexibility. In contrast, others expressed that it can be difficult to see months of cold and dark mornings.
Even if fewer people need their watches reset, Ngo says he'll continue repairing watches and jewelry for years to come.
After decades in the business, he believes that while the way people tell time continues to evolve, there will always be people who want to preserve the traditional ways.
For now, Coloradans should still plan to turn their clocks back in November unless the Senate passes the Sunshine Protection Act, and it is signed into law before then.
If the legislation is approved, states such as Arizona and Hawaii would not be affected because they already observe standard time year-round and do not participate in daylight saving time.
