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Debate springs forward, falls back By David Smith, Journal and Courier A look back at Tippecanoe County's brushes with daylight-saving time: * 1942-1945: Indiana and the rest of the United States observe daylight-saving time as a concerted effort to conserve wartime electricity. * 1955: Tippecanoe County residents, who live in the Central time zone and observe daylight-saving time, set their clocks ahead as usual the last Sunday in April. However, an article in the April 23, 1955, Journal and Courier notes that Indianapolis plans to stay on daylight-saving or "fast" time that fall, effectively joining the Eastern time zone. Tippecanoe County residents follow suit. * 1957: The state legislature adopts Central time as the official state time and gives communities the option of daylight-saving time. Tippecanoe County chooses the daylight-saving option. * 1966: To address time zone discrepancies nationwide, Congress passes the Uniform Time Act. It supersedes state laws and encourages the adoption of daylight-saving time. * 1972: A federal plan is approved whereby Indiana's 92 counties are split into three time schemes: Eastern year-round; Eastern daylight-saving and Central daylight-saving. Tippecanoe falls into the Eastern time year-round area. * Jan. 6, 1974: In response to the Arab oil embargo, Indiana and other states observe the Daylight Saving Time Energy Act by setting clocks ahead one hour for a fifteen-month period through April 27, 1975. After 1975, most of Indiana, including Tippecanoe County, reverts back to standard time year-round. * 1986: President Reagan establishes the first Sunday in April as the start of daylight-saving time for those states that observe daylight-saving time. The date for reverting to standard time remains 2 a.m. on the last Sunday of October. * April 28, 2005: Indiana Legislature passes a bill mandating that counties observe daylight-saving time beginning 2 a.m. April 2, 2006. Senate Enrolled Act 127 also requires the governor to seek federal hearings on whether all or parts of Indiana should remain in the Eastern time zone or move to the Central time zone. * Monday, July 18: Gov. Mitch Daniels releases a letter from the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. The letter says hearings will not be scheduled as requested, but the department will consider time-zone change requests on a county-by-county basis. Sources: The Centennial History of the Indiana General Assembly; Journal and Courier and Indianapolis Star archives; Monroe County Community School Corp.

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