A Permanent Daylight Savings Is Being Pushed By U.S Senators Again
Senate legislation passed during the spring of 2022 would have made daylight savings time permanent starting in 2023.
Bipartisan senators announced Friday they will try again by introducing a new bill to make daylight saving time permanent and end the twice-a-year clock change.
In March 2022, the U.S. Senate passed legislation that would have made daylight saving time permanent starting in 2023.
But Congress could not come to agreement and the bill was never voted on in the House of Representatives.
Since then, there has been little movement. However, on Friday, senators led by Democrat Ed Markey and Republican Marco Rubio reintroduced legislation, just ahead of the resumption of daylight saving time at 2 a.m. on Sunday. A companion measure was again introduced in the House by Representative Vern Buchanan.
“The antiquated biannual ritual of toggling between times isn’t just an inconvenience – it also has very real impacts on our economy, our energy consumption, and our health,” Markey said.
Rubio said: “We’re ‘springing forward’ but should have never ‘fallen back.’”
Advocates say keeping the clocks the same in autumn encourages children to play outside later and reduces seasonal depression. The opposition, however, argues that many children would have to go to school at night.
Easy win for the GOP: pass the Sunshine Protection Act and make Daylight Savings Permanent. pic.twitter.com/dLvojfcIxr
— JR Majewski (@JRMajewski) March 9, 2024
Many lawmakers favor ending clock-switching but are unsure whether daylight or standard time should be used.
Don’t forget that #DaylightSavings begins tonight! Be sure to turn your clocks forward an hour.
I’ve cosponsored a bill to make daylight saving time the new, permanent standard time. Read more about H.R. 1279 here: https://t.co/5DrgvwhlKg #FL02 pic.twitter.com/BLGDo2vSY5
— Dr. Neal Dunn (@DrNealDunnFL2) March 9, 2024
The two-yearly changing of clocks has been challenged in about 30 states since 2015, with some proposing the change only if neighboring states follow suit.
We could all use a little bit more sleep.
You can email Sharika Soal here, and read more of Sharika Soal’s articles here.