The idea of adopting permanent daylight saving time in the United States has been hotly debated for years, but could it finally be coming to pass?
After several attempts, the “Sunshine Protection Act,” a bill championed by Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan, passed out of a House committee this week, and will advance for a vote by the full House of Representatives.
Buchanan and fellow Florida Rep. Gus Bilirakis released a joint statement on the committee approving the measure, which is now folded into the “Motor Vehicle Modernization Act,” according to a press release.
“For years, Floridians have voiced overwhelming frustration with the outdated practice of changing the clocks twice a year,” the lawmakers said. “The biannual clock change is inconvenient, unnecessary, and out of step with the needs of today’s families and economy. Permanent Daylight Saving Time will provide Americans with greater stability and more usable daylight hours throughout the year. We are pleased to work to move this long-discussed policy forward as part of this important infrastructure legislation.”
The Sunshine Protection Act had previously passed the full Senate by a voice vote in 2022, but the measure did not pass out of the House, and it hasn’t made any progress in the years since.
According to a press release, the legislation supported by a large group of lawmakers, including President Donald Trump, who again recently pressed for its passage after it moved out of committee this week.
“It’s time that people can stop worrying about the ‘Clock,’ not to mention all of the work and money that is spent on this ridiculous, twice yearly production,” he said on his Truth Social platform after the bill moved to the full House. “It will also be a very nice WIN for the Republican Party. Take it! We are going with the far more popular alternative, Saving Daylight, which gives you a longer, brighter Day — And who can be against that — This is an easy one!”
Daylight saving time was officially adopted by the U.S. in March 1918, but it was quickly abolished. It was then brought back a few times before the Uniform time Act of 1966 passed. That bill originally had clocks advance by an hour on the final Sunday in April and turn back an hour on the last Sunday in October.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed that to the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November, which is where the dates fall today.
Under provisions of the Uniform Time Act, states can either choose to participate in daylight saving time, which 48 do, or to use year-round standard time, which is the case in Arizona and Hawaii.
States are not legally allowed to observe permanent daylight saving time, but numerous states have passed laws that would immediately make that change if Congress permitted them to, with a total of 19 states having passed that type of legislation. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, those states have either passed bills that would immediately observe permanent daylight saving time or would do so if neighboring states choose to.
Still, the move isn’t seen as a universal slam dunk. Sleep experts cite multiple studies that suggest adopting permanent standard time would be more beneficial to Americans than permanent daylight saving time.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has pushed for a switch to permanent standard time for several years.
“By causing the human body clock to be misaligned with the natural environment, daylight saving time increases risks to our physical health, mental well-being, and public safety,” Dr. M. Adeel Rishi, who is chair of the AASM Public Safety Committee and a pulmonary, sleep medicine, and critical care specialist at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis, said in a statement. “Permanent standard time is the optimal choice for health and safety.”
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