Push to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent Gains Momentum
As Americans gear up for the biannual tradition of adjusting their clocks, a group of politicians is advocating for a change. Florida Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio are using the upcoming time change to remind Americans about the bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act, which aims to make daylight saving time permanent. The bill was unanimously passed in the U.S. Senate in 2022 and reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023. Sen. Scott emphasized the widespread support for the bill among lawmakers and the American public.
The push to end the time change is gaining traction, with a recent Economist/YouGov poll revealing that 62% of Americans are in favor of discontinuing the practice. Currently, only Arizona (excluding the Navajo Nation), Hawaii, and the U.S. territories observe standard time year-round. In the rest of the country, daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November, allowing for longer daylight hours during summer evenings.
However, federal law prohibits states from adopting daylight saving time permanently. Sen. Rubio’s bill failed to reach President Joe Biden’s desk in 2022. Nonetheless, Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan introduced the Sunshine Protection Act in the House last March, aiming to address the issue in the current congressional session.
The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that this year alone, 28 bills have been introduced concerning daylight saving time, with an additional 36 carried over from the previous legislative session. Approximately two dozen states are considering making daylight saving time permanent if Congress allows for such a change. Additionally, twenty other states are contemplating legislation to adopt permanent standard time. Notably, some states are dependent on their neighboring states adopting the same time change.
While the idea of permanent daylight saving time may seem novel, it has been attempted before with mixed results. Daylight saving time was initially introduced in 1918 with the passage of the Standard Time Act, but it was quickly repealed at the national level after World War I. It resurfaced during World War II when Congress voted to implement year-round daylight saving time as a fuel conservation measure. However, after the war ended, states regained the authority to establish their own standard time until 1966 when the Uniform Time Act was passed, standardizing national time and establishing the current-day daylight saving time.
In recent history, former President Richard Nixon signed a bill in 1973 to put the U.S. on daylight saving time starting in January 1974, amidst an energy crisis. However, public opinion quickly turned against the idea due to late sunrises that occurred as late as 9:30 a.m. in some areas during winter. Congress swiftly reversed course in October 1974.
Today, public sentiment indicates growing frustration with the disruptions to sleep and daily routines caused by the time change. Research suggests that these disruptions can contribute to health issues and safety problems. As the debate about the merits of daylight saving time continues, Americans can expect to reset their clocks and adjust their sleep schedules once again this Sunday.
Sources:
– Celina Tebor, Emily DeLetter USA TODAY; USA TODAY Network-Florida
