Indiana Time is going the way of the dodos ... I just wish it would take the dodos with it. 
Step 1) The Republican Governor campaigned on Central Daylight Time and was elected. I found out after the election that was one of his big issues.
Step 2) A fight broke out in the Indiana Legislature and the DST bill was not brought to a vote before the deadline. Guess we are going to have to wait a year? Nope!
Step 3) A senator modifies one of his bills - removing the entire text (which delt with speed limits) and inserting the end of Daylight Saving Time. Through committees and on the floor language that was completely against federal rules were included and finally removed leaving Indiana with the final law:
"The end of not observing DST in Indiana and a request to the US DOT to hold hearings."
Step 4) The Governor followed the law to the letter - not mentioning his stated preference for Central Time - which is what the law told him to do.
Step 5) The US DOT decided not to follow Indiana law and instead follow federal law (go figure!). Counties were asked to individually petition. The US DOT specifically asked for no comments on the DST issue, just petitions from those counties wishing to go to Central Time.
Step 6) As of today over 440 comments are officially on file ... only 17 of them are the petitions to change time zones that were requested. The rest range from the outraged to the very confused. More than half deal with DST vs not observing DST with many asking for the federal government to put Indiana back on EST year round. Everyone seems confused.
Step 7) The US DOT will filter through those messages and decide *IF* hearings will be held.
Will there be a checkerboard? No. The decision rests entirely in the hands of the US DOT and they are the ones that made the decision in 1969 to place all but 12 counties in Indiana on Eastern Time.
Will people be mad? Yes. Will they remain confused? Yes. Will Governor Daniels be reelected? Well ...
I'm hoping for EST. Some counties near Vincennes may move but I expect that everywhere else will remain EST adding EDT next year. Seven months a year on EDT instead of twelve on EST in 2006.
Then in 2007 we all see a change in DST when THE ENTIRE COUNTRY will observe DST from mid March to the first Sunday of November - EIGHT months of DST for all America (except those that choose not to observe it).
Life in the Eastern Midwest - fun!
JL
Step 1) The Republican Governor campaigned on Central Daylight Time and was elected. I found out after the election that was one of his big issues.
Step 2) A fight broke out in the Indiana Legislature and the DST bill was not brought to a vote before the deadline. Guess we are going to have to wait a year? Nope!
Step 3) A senator modifies one of his bills - removing the entire text (which delt with speed limits) and inserting the end of Daylight Saving Time. Through committees and on the floor language that was completely against federal rules were included and finally removed leaving Indiana with the final law:
"The end of not observing DST in Indiana and a request to the US DOT to hold hearings."
Step 4) The Governor followed the law to the letter - not mentioning his stated preference for Central Time - which is what the law told him to do.
Step 5) The US DOT decided not to follow Indiana law and instead follow federal law (go figure!). Counties were asked to individually petition. The US DOT specifically asked for no comments on the DST issue, just petitions from those counties wishing to go to Central Time.
Step 6) As of today over 440 comments are officially on file ... only 17 of them are the petitions to change time zones that were requested. The rest range from the outraged to the very confused. More than half deal with DST vs not observing DST with many asking for the federal government to put Indiana back on EST year round. Everyone seems confused.
Step 7) The US DOT will filter through those messages and decide *IF* hearings will be held.
Will there be a checkerboard? No. The decision rests entirely in the hands of the US DOT and they are the ones that made the decision in 1969 to place all but 12 counties in Indiana on Eastern Time.
Will people be mad? Yes. Will they remain confused? Yes. Will Governor Daniels be reelected? Well ...
I'm hoping for EST. Some counties near Vincennes may move but I expect that everywhere else will remain EST adding EDT next year. Seven months a year on EDT instead of twelve on EST in 2006.
Then in 2007 we all see a change in DST when THE ENTIRE COUNTRY will observe DST from mid March to the first Sunday of November - EIGHT months of DST for all America (except those that choose not to observe it).
Life in the Eastern Midwest - fun!
JL