The Sunshine Protection Act is a U.S. federal bill that would make daylight saving time permanent in the United States, meaning the time would no longer change twice a year. [1] [2] [3] [4] Every year, many accidents occur in Georgia because drivers are blinded by sunlight or glare from the sun. There are three main ways to become blinded by the sun: Opponents of the Sunscreen Act argue that a permanent standard time would be more beneficial to human health and well-being. [21] [22] Many health professionals, safety experts and research companies consider permanent normal hours to be better, for health, safety, schools and businesses. [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] This is partly because standard time coincides with the natural circadian cycle, while daylight saving time is one hour early. The closer harmony between standard time and biology helps make morning travel safer,[23][32] improves student well-being,[33][34] makes certain religious practices (as in Orthodox Judaism and Islam) practical,[35][36][37][38] increases exposure to healthy morning sun,[24] and increases productivity and wages. [39] However, proponents of permanent daylight saving time argue that it has its own advantages,[40] including lower crime,[41] fewer frequent motor vehicle accidents, and a lower prevalence of seasonal depression. [42] [43] Research is unclear as to which time setting saves the most energy. [5] [44] [45] [46] Most solar accidents occur in the morning or late afternoon, when the sun is close to the horizon and therefore shines directly on the conductors. Unfortunately, rush hour creates the ideal conditions for accidents involving sunlight: many cars pile up on the road at the same time, just as the sun is in a position to blind them. That`s when most of these accidents happen. Sunlight and glare from the sun can cause dangerous conditions on the road, but they can`t be used as an excuse in court if you`ve been involved in a collision.
This can be very frustrating for drivers who feel they had no way to mitigate the danger and for victims who feel that the responsible party is using sunlight as an excuse for their accident. An experienced lawyer can help you navigate the complexities that sunlight and glare can bring to your case. In some cases, an event or document that would normally be accessible under transparency laws is publicly available (e.g., a legally protected matter currently under investigation), but transparency laws are designed to minimize these exceptions. Transparency laws also distinguish between entities that are subject to the laws and those that are not. For example, any entity with the power to create binding laws would be subject to the act, but an advisory committee without such power might not be subject to the Sunshine Acts, even if it deals with government matters. The reason glare from the sun is no excuse is that the law requires all drivers to take basic precautions for dangerous weather conditions while driving. Just as it would be unwise to drive at 65 miles per hour in dense fog, it is also unwise to get into a car on a sunny day and not take precautions against glare. Drivers are responsible for taking precautions in dangerous road conditions, including sunlight and glare from the sun.
The debate on the bill revolves mainly around the effects on human health, traffic accidents and whether it is better to have more sun in the morning or evening. Some activities are considered exceptions to transparency laws, regardless of impact. This is more common for those involved in active legal proceedings, including certain disciplinary measures involving government employees that would impact privacy issues. The Sunshine Protection Act would introduce permanent daylight saving time in the U.S., resulting in later sunrises and sunsets during the four months most of the U.S. currently observes standard time, resulting in less sun in the morning and more sunshine in the evening. It would not require states and territories that maintain permanent standard time (American Samoa, most of Arizona, Guam, Hawaii, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands) to change to permanent daylight saving time. [4] In central London, near Chinatown and Covent Garden, especially in the side streets, signs reading “Ancient Lights” can be seen, marking individual windows. The design and construction of Radio House in the early 1930s was also influenced by locals, who declared their right to old lights. This resulted in a unique asymmetrical oblique design that allowed sunlight to flow through the building to the residential areas to the east, which have long since been demolished and now house the new Egton Wing. Sunshine laws are regulations that require transparency and disclosure within government or business.
Transparency laws provide for meetings, minutes, votes, deliberations and other official actions for public observation, participation and/or inspection. The Sunshine Laws also require that government meetings be held sufficiently in advance and at appropriate times and locations accessible to the public, with exceptions for emergency meetings. Once a right to light exists, the right holder is entitled to “sufficient light according to the ordinary conceptions of mankind”: Colls v. Home & Colonial Stores Ltd (1904). The courts rely on experts to define this term. Since the 1920s, experts have used a method proposed by Percy Waldram to help them do this. Waldram suggested that ordinary people need a lighting candle (about ten lux) for reading and other visually discriminated work. This corresponds to a sky factor (similar to the daylight factor) of 0.2%. Today, Waldram`s methods are increasingly criticized[2],[3] and the future of experts in light rights cases is currently the subject of much debate within the surveying profession. [4] These exceptions are rare and can only mean that errors are shared between both parties. The Federal Sunshine Acts were created in 1976 by the Government in Sunshine Act (also known as the Sunshine Act), whose purpose was to promote accountability among federal agencies. Nevertheless, the Sunshine Act also contains ten exceptions, and the law also allows agencies to withdraw certain meetings behind closed doors on an individual basis, as disclosure can have negative effects.
Such non-disclosure may be allowed where early disclosure is likely to significantly jeopardise the implementation of the measures proposed by the Agency. Meetings may also be closed to the public if another law requires their closure or if an organization`s involvement in a civil action is at stake. There are many ways to minimize or prevent glare. In the late 2010s, more than 30 states passed resolutions calling on the federal government to abolish annual transitions. [10] In England, rights to old lights are generally acquired under the Prescription Act 1832. But the doctrine became extinct in American common law in the 19th century and is no longer generally recognized in the United States. Under U.S. tort law, the Florida Court of Appeals in Fontainebleau Hotel Corp. v.
Forty-Five Twenty-Five, Inc. (1959) found that the “old lights” doctrine had been unanimously rejected in the United States. [5] [6] The right to light is a form of servitude in English law that gives a long-time owner of a building with windows the right to maintain the level of lighting. The law was traditionally known in Anglo-American common law as the doctrine of the “ancient enlightenment.” [1] Transparency laws require a minimum level of transparency, as some companies participate in business relationships or government agencies participate in regulatory processes. Transparency laws may be enacted at the state or federal level. Sunshine laws are most often associated with decision-making in business or finance, but they can extend to other areas. In 1984, San Francisco voters passed Proposition K, which prevents the construction of buildings larger than 40 feet (12.2 m) that cast a shadow over a public park unless the Planning Commission decides that the shadow is insignificant. This proposal poses problems for a proposed 75-story building south of Market Street, which would cast a shadow over a public park ten blocks away for an hour of the day in the fall, as well as St.
Mary`s Square, Justin Herman Plaza and Union Square for much of the year. [7] Massachusetts has similar laws against shadows cast on Boston Common, the public garden, and other important open public spaces. [8] Time zones were first introduced in the United States in 1883 by railroad companies. [5] In 1918, they were codified into federal law by the Standard Time Act, which also included a nationwide daylight saving time provision modeled on European energy conservation laws during World War I, but this component was repealed a year later due to farmers` protests. [5] Many states then introduced daylight saving time, and in 1966 the Uniform Time Act standardized the start and end dates. [5] Hawaii, most of Arizona, and the United States.