Urgent Help Needed from Texas Supporters Regarding HB 2400

I have been following the progress of the daylight saving bills in the Texas legislature this session. Bills have been introduced before which would require Texas to remain on standard time all year instead of changing to daylight saving time for half of the year. This year both the house and the senate introduced bills. Many argue the merits of both DST and ST, but everyone acknowledges the switching back and forth twice a year is unhealthy and difficult. I loved DST as a kid, but when my daughter started high school, I saw how DST made early school start times worse. Several months ago, I used the US Navy's civil twilight calendar to determine the effects of remaining on standard time to Arlington ISD's earliest bus pickup (6:30 am) by downloading the district's academic calendars and comparing the school days to beginning of civil twilight for Arlington in 2017. Eliminating DST, would substantially reduce the number of days those with the earliest bus stop time from waiting and walking to the stop in the dark. With the current system, Arlington ISD high school students with the earliest bus stop time stand at a bus stop 75% of the time or 139 days before civil twilight in the morning. If we remained on standard time, these same students would be picked up 66 days of the academic year or 36% of the time before civil twilight. That's a reduction of 53%! Start School Later does not have an official stance on this issue. However Dr. Judy Owens, Director of Sleep Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital and author of the the AAP policy statement on adolescent sleep and school start times, is currently serving on a state committee regarding this issue in the northeast. As she said, the other day at the school start time national conference, these bills create an opportunity for advocates to infuse into the political conversation the need for healthy school hours and how traveling to school before predawn is unsafe for our children. I received a notice that HB 2400, will be given a public hearing tomorrow, Monday, May 1 at 2:00 PM. The bill was referred to the Government Transparency and Operations committee of the house. Here are the committee phone numbers and email addresses. Please write or call these members tonight or Monday morning to state your SUPPORT for the bill because remaining on standard time year round will greatly reduce the number of days we are forcing our children to walk, bike, or wait at bus stops in predawn hours. Chair: Gary Elkins gary.elkins@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0722 Vice Chair: Giovanni Capriglione Giovanni.Capriglione@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0690 Larry Gonzales larry.gonzales@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0670 Eddie Lucio III eddie.lucio_iii@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0606 Matt Shaheen Matt.Shaheen@house.texas.gov 512-463-0594 Tony Tinderholt Tony.Tinderholt@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0624 Tomas Uresti Tomas.uresti@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0714 Thanks for your help!