Permanent Daylight Saving Time? Senate considers idea amid debate over pros and cons
A bipartisan group of senators this week reintroduced a bill that would make Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent across the nation as the nearing time change has again sparked debate over its pros and cons.
The bill, called the “Sunshine Protection Act,” was first introduced by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida in 2018 and has been reintroduced multiple times since — but has yet to become law.
If passed, the legislation would end the four months of standard time, meaning the U.S. would no longer “fall back.”
Now, with the country set to “spring forward” an hour on March 14, the bill was reintroduced Tuesday by Republican U.S. Sens. Rubio, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi and Rick Scott of Florida, and Democratic Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Ed Markey of Massachusetts.
The bill would still need to pass both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives and be signed into law by President Joe Biden to take effect.
Not the first attempt to change Daylight Saving Time
More states have recently passed similar laws or resolutions to end time changes.
At least 350 pieces of legislation that would either make DST or standard time permanent have been introduced in “virtually every state” since 2015, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2018, Florida became the first state to pass legislation to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.
Since then, 15 other states have done the same. But for those changes to apply, the federal statute would need to change, according to a release about the bill from Markey.
Daylight Saving Time — designed to conserve energy and “match daylight hours to the times when most people are awake” — was adopted by the U.S. in 1918 and repealed in 1919, according to History.com.
It was reinstated in 1942 during World War II, and many states continued using it after the war.
In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act to make DST consistent across the country.
Pros and cons of Daylight Saving Time
But now debate resurfaces each year around whether changing the time each year does any good.
The U.S. Department of Transportation, which oversees the observance of DST, says it saves energy by reducing the need for electricity use, prevents traffic accidents as “more people travel to and from school and work and complete errands during the daylight,” and reduces crime.
Proponents also argue that longer evenings allow people to “get out of the house” more and benefit the tourism industry, according to timeanddate.com.
Opponents, however, argue that DST doesn’t really save energy because “modern society, with its computers, TV-screens and air conditioning units, uses more energy, no matter if the sun is up or not,” per timeanddate.com.
Experts have also said that springing forward disrupts human sleep cycles, which can have a negative effect on health, CNN reported. Studies have also linked the time change to increased car accidents and workplace injuries, timeanddate.com says.
Additionally, farmers have “long opposed” changing the time twice a year,arguing it throws off harvesting schedules, according to History.com.
What are senators saying?
The Sunshine Protection Act, if passed, would not mandate states and territories to observe DST if they don’t already.. It would only apply to states that currently observe it and would “simply negate the need for Americans to change their clocks twice a year,” the release says.
“The call to end the antiquated practice of clock changing is gaining momentum throughout the nation,” Rubio said in the release. “Studies have shown many benefits of a year-round Daylight Saving Time, which is why the Florida legislature voted to make it permanent in 2018.
“I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, and give our nation’s families more stability throughout the year.”
Wyden called the bill a “common-sense step.”
“Springing forward and falling back year after year only creates unnecessary confusion while harming Americans’ health and our economy,” Wyden said in the release. ”Making Daylight Saving permanent would give folks an hour back of sunshine during the winter months when we need it most.”
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 7:17 AM with the headline "Permanent Daylight Saving Time? Senate considers idea amid debate over pros and cons."
