A bipartisan initiative to establish permanent daylight saving time is moving forward for a full chamber vote after successfully navigating a significant step in the House.
The House Rules Committee recently endorsed the Sunshine Protection Act, allowing states to implement daylight saving time year-round while also providing an option to opt out. The measure was approved with a 6-4 vote.
This bill has garnered backing from several coastal lawmakers along with President Trump, who has consistently urged Congress to make daylight saving time a permanent change and abolish the biannual clock adjustments currently observed in all states except Hawaii and most of Arizona.
Proponents argue that while changing the clocks could have adverse health effects, maintaining daylight saving time could enhance outdoor activities, boost tourism, and stimulate the economy.
Most Americans have already adapted to moving their clocks forward in the spring for additional evening light, then adjusting them back in November.
“The majority of Americans are in favor of ending the ‘jumping forward’ and ‘stepping back’ routine. Keeping our clocks set year-round would positively influence sleep patterns, energy efficiency, vehicle safety, and the economy,” stated Kentucky Republican Party Chairman Brett Guthrie during his opening remarks.
“This change would essentially mean people could enjoy more time outdoors, visit family, attend events, and support retail businesses,” he added.
Representative Vern Buchanan, R-Florida, who sponsored the bill, emphasized that Floridians and citizens nationwide are weary of shifting times, and evidence suggests that a stable daylight saving time could enhance public health, reduce traffic accidents, cut down on crime, and encourage outdoor engagement.
Buchanan claimed, “Eliminating the clock changes is a logical reform that could improve the daily lives of countless Americans.”
The bill gained traction following a near-unanimous approval by the House Energy and Commerce Committee in May, with a vote of 48-1.
In response to the bill’s advance, President Trump remarked, “It’s time to stop fretting about ‘the clock’ and the resources wasted on this absurd biannual routine. This would also be a significant win for Republicans. We’re opting for the more popular alternative of Saving Daylight. It affords us longer, brighter days—who wouldn’t support that? It’s straightforward!”
Roughly 20 states have already enacted laws to keep daylight saving time in place if Congress consents. States such as Alabama, South Carolina, Oregon, Maine, and Florida are among them.
However, detractors, including some medical organizations, advocate for a permanent standard time as a healthier choice, aligning more closely with the body’s natural circadian rhythm.
Representative Mary Gay Scanlon, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, suggested amending the bill to integrate elements of the Sunshine for Our Kids Act, which she co-sponsored, aiming to ensure that standard time remains permanent nationwide. This amendment was swiftly dismissed.
Scanlon raised concerns that lasting daylight savings would leave many Americans, particularly children, in darkness during the morning, thereby posing health and safety risks. She also recalled that the U.S. briefly experimented with year-round daylight saving time in 1974 but abandoned it following significant public backlash.
Rep. Nanette Barragan, D-Calif., was the sole lawmaker to oppose the bill during the May Energy and Commerce Committee meeting, citing worries that permanent daylight saving time could adversely affect children’s health and sleep patterns.
Some conservative representatives argue that GOP leaders should concentrate on more critical issues, such as legislation that would cement President Trump’s border security executive order and the delayed Save America Act.
“While the country faces serious challenges, Republicans are sidetracked by clock-related issues,” stated Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
While the House has passed the SAVE America Act several times, it has encountered hurdles in the Senate due to the filibuster. A version of the Sunshine Protection Act was unanimously approved by the Senate in 2022, but it failed to pass in the House amid concerns from lawmakers regarding darker mornings in winter months.
