House lawmakers on Tuesday moved forward with a bill aimed at ending the twice-yearly clock-changing routine by allowing daylight saving time to become permanent.
The Sunshine Protection Act, which would let states choose between observing daylight saving time all year or keeping the familiar “spring forward” and “fall back” schedule, passed the House with bipartisan support in a 308-117 vote.
Sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), the measure now advances to the Senate for consideration.
“Americans across the country are tired of the biannual clock change, and the evidence is clear that permanent daylight saving time can improve public health, reduce traffic accidents, lower crime and encourage more outdoor activity,” Buchanan said in a statement.
The Florida Republican added that he has pushed the proposal for years, calling year-round daylight saving time a “popular, commonsense reform” that would make daily life better for millions of people, while urging Congress to “lock the clock for good.”
The legislation would not change sunrise or sunset times during the summer, but the impact would be more noticeable from November through February in states that do not opt out of permanent daylight saving time.
One major shift: sunsets during the 4 p.m. hour would effectively disappear.
In New York City, for instance, the latest sunrise of the year — on Jan. 4 — would move from 7:20 a.m. ET to 8:20 a.m. ET. The city’s earliest sunset, on Dec. 7, would shift from 4:28 p.m. ET to 5:28 p.m. ET.
President Trump expressed strong support for Sunshine Protection Act after it advanced out of committee in May.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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!” he argued.
Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) spoke out against the bill ahead of the vote, arguing it “is being rushed to the floor as a political bargaining chip without thorough consideration of the impacts.”
“Permanent time is a national decision with implications for every aspect of our health and economy,” she continued. “It deserves a robust, thoughtful debate and an amendment process that allows members to test each provision of the bill.”
Dean instead argued in favor of observing standard time – the time in the winter months – year round.
“Early morning light is an important environmental cue to set our body’s internal clocks and promote alertness, and dim evening light tells our bodies that it is time to sleep,” the congresswoman said. “We function best, scientists tell us, on a physical, mental, and social level when our bodies, the sun and the clock are all aligned.”
Roughly 20 states, including Alabama, South Carolina, Oregon, Maine and Florida, have already passed legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent if Congress were to authorize the practice.
Every state except Hawaii and most of Arizona observe daylight saving time.
