WASHINGTON, July 13 - The U.S. House of Representatives is preparing to vote this week on a bill that would eliminate the twice-yearly clock change by keeping daylight saving time in effect year-round. At the same time, another set of lawmakers has introduced competing legislation that would instead make standard time the permanent baseline.
The House Rules Committee is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. Monday to determine whether amendments will be permitted before the full House takes up the measure later in the week. Earlier in May, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the Sunshine Protection Act by a 48-1 margin.
The U.S. Senate previously adopted a resolution in March 2022 voting unanimously to make daylight saving time permanent, but the House did not advance that proposal at the time due to opposition from some lawmakers. The current proposal would continue to allow states to opt out of the federal change - consistent with the existing situation in which Hawaii and Arizona do not observe daylight saving time.
Arguments from supporters
Proponents of year-round daylight saving time argue the biannual clock shifts disrupt sleep patterns, increase the risk of workplace injuries and contribute to more motor vehicle accidents. They also contend that having lighter evenings in winter could boost consumer activity and overall economic activity during months that are now darker in the evenings.
Counterproposal and supporters of standard time
Last week, two members of Congress introduced the Sunshine for Our Kids Act, which would make standard time the permanent default across the United States while allowing individual states to opt into permanent daylight saving time if they prefer. The bill was introduced by Representatives Pat Harrigan and Mary Gay Scanlon, who state that standard time better aligns morning light with human circadian rhythms.
Opposition and next steps
Should the House approve the daylight saving time measure, the U.S. Senate would need to consider it anew. Some senators, including Tom Cotton of Arkansas, have expressed opposition. Senator Cotton has argued that permanent daylight saving time would create very late winter sunrises in parts of the country and could force children to travel to school in darkness in many areas.
The United States previously experimented with year-round daylight saving time during World War Two and enacted it again nationally in 1974 in an effort to reduce energy consumption, but that 1974 measure proved unpopular and Congress repealed it later that year.
For now, the legislative path remains uncertain: the House is moving to consider the Sunshine Protection Act and related amendments, competing proposals seek different permanent time regimes, and senators will have to decide whether to take up any measure approved by the House.