The Time Debate in the 2006 Short Session

State Rep. Heim (R- LaPorte, Starke and Marshall Counties) has introduced a bill requiring a statewide referendum on an appropriate time zone for the state of Indiana. The bill frames the question as one asking whether the entire state should be put on either Eastern or Central Time. The concluding language in Heim's bill "The secretary of state shall certify the results of the vote on the public question required by this SECTION to the governor for whatever action the governor considers expedient." This strikes me as a pointless exercise. A large section of the State has important reasons to choose Central time. A small part of the State (primarily New Albany) has a good reason to be on Eastern. Most of the State can live with either zone (economically). Wide spread time zone unity would be nice, and because the sections of the state with in interest in Central outweight those with an interest in Eastern, my feeling is that the greatest degree of unification can be achieved using Central Time. If the legislature can muster the votes to pass Heim's bill, and then repass it over the governor's veto, then it could easily pass a petition to the DOT to put the state (or any part thereof) into the Central Time Zone. Why doesn't Heim ask for that, or, perhaps more practically, ask the legislature for a petition to DOT to put the counties in his legislative district (Starke (assuming its approval to be moved is withdrawn) and Marshall) as well as St. Joseph to Central Time, adding the weight of the legislature to the expressed desire of local county commissioners?