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U.S. House to Vote on Making Daylight Saving Time Permanent
The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote next week on legislation to make daylight saving time permanent, according to a notice posted Thursday. The move revives a congressional effort to end the twice-yearly changing of clocks across the country.
Legislative Path
The bill, known as the Sunshine Protection Act, advanced out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in May with a strong bipartisan vote of 48-1. The proposal would allow states to opt out of the change.
This follows a similar measure that the U.S. Senate passed unanimously in March 2022, which the House at the time did not take up for a vote. If the new bill passes the House, it would still require another approval from the Senate before it could be sent to the president.
AdEconomic and Social Arguments
Proponents of the bill argue that ending the time shift has numerous benefits. They cite studies suggesting it could reduce sleep disturbances, workplace injuries, and car accidents often associated with the clock change. Supporters, including Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ), also believe that brighter evenings would spur more economic activity, particularly for tourism and recreation industries.
However, the proposal faces opposition. Critics, such as Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), have previously argued that permanent daylight saving time would result in dangerously dark mornings during winter months, forcing children to commute to school in the dark. The United States briefly enacted year-round daylight saving time in 1974 to conserve energy, but the policy proved unpopular and was repealed by Congress later that year.