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Southbend Tribune - LOCAL January 17. 2006 Are three seeking political cover after DST debate? Time bill maneuvers might show up again on Election Day. MIKE SMITH Associated Press Writer INDIANAPOLIS -- Three lawmakers who opposed statewide daylight-saving time at the end of the last legislative session but previously helped keep measures on it alive through action or inaction have filed bills on time issues this year. They say it has nothing to do with seeking political cover with their constituents back home, but some Democrats suggest otherwise. "To me it looks like these legislators are simply covering their tails because they know how hotly contested this has been and they made perhaps some unpopular votes with their decisions last session," said Rep. Dave Crooks, D-Washington. The path to get statewide observance of daylight-saving time passed was rough and rocky all session long last year, and in the end, it cleared its final hurdle by a single vote in the House. None of that was a surprise, because many efforts to pass it had failed for more than three decades. Over the years, it has been one of the most -- if not the most -- contentious issues in the General Assembly. Many lawmakers say that's because their constituents are evenly divided on the issue and extremely passionate about it. But it did pass last session, and three Republicans who voted against it in the end played key roles in advancing it along the way. It cleared its first step when it was approved on a 6-5 House committee vote. One of the no votes then came from Carolene Mays, D-Indianapolis, who supported its final passage at the end of the session. But one of the yes votes in committee that day came from Rep. Steve Heim, R-Culver, who opposed daylight-saving time in the end. If he had voted against it in committee that earlier day, the bill would not have advanced to the full House. Heim has filed a bill this session that would require a statewide vote in the November election asking people whether all of Indiana should observe Eastern daylight-saving time or Central daylight-saving time. The results would not be binding on the General Assembly, but Heim said a referendum would be a good way "to see if we can reach a consensus one way or the other." Is he skating now? Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Lakeville, was not present when the initial 6-5 committee vote on daylight-saving time was taken. She said then that she had a scheduling conflict and would vote against it on the floor, which she did. It would not have reached the full House had she shown up to cast her vote against it that day. It was killed along the way, anyway, but was revived in the Senate, at first in the Senate Rules Committee. Sen. Allen Paul, R-Richmond, cast the deciding vote to get daylight-saving time to the full Senate. His surveys showed that most of his constituents were against it, and he voted against it in the end. But he, like Heim and Walorski, kept the clock-change alive. Paul said the issue deserved a vote by the full Senate. Paul is safe in his district, but House Democrats will surely spend lots of money going after Heim, Walorski and others on time issues. Hoosiers have been passionate about clocks for decades, and there's no telling what a one-hour change will mean politically.

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