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Indiana lawmaker wants the whole state on Central time

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Which time zone do you think Indiana should be in? Eastern or Central?

One state lawmaker wants the whole state on the Central Time Zone, and he’s already getting the ball rolling.

Right now, 12 Indiana counties are in the Central Time Zone and the rest of the 80 counties are in the Eastern Time Zone. Even Visit Indiana has a whole page about the state’s time zones so you can check your destination city.

State Senator Greg Walker, a Republican from Columbus, has a resolution that urges the Legislative Council to assign a summer study committee to see if Indiana should move completely to the Central Time zone or not. He argues, the way the state is positioned on the map, we belong in Central Time. Walker says the reason isn’t necessarily to be aligned with Chicago, over New York City.

“There are safety considerations,” Walker explained Tuesday. “There are a lot of issues with schools starting much of their calendar [and] it’s dark when they’re moving children in buses and parents transporting in cars. There’s the workforce that in the course of a work day, if they can work in daylight, say they’re in the trades and they work outdoors, construction. I think there are a lot of safety factors.”

You’ll remember back in the mid-2000s, Indiana began observing Daylight Saving Time. That was a huge controversy back then and still is for some. Walker said this is different, because it’s about the time zone itself, not Daylight Saving Ttime.

Walker said he’s not sure how long the whole process would take, but that study could start this summer, if things go as planned. The resolution passed out of committee today by a vote of five-to-one.

By the way, State Rep Jeff Thompson had a time zone resolution in 2016, but that proposal died

To read Walker’s proposal, click here.