The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to advance legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent, ending the biannual practice of moving clocks twice each year that has been standard across most of the country since the 1960s. The chamber approved the bill by a 308-117 margin, sending the measure to the Senate for further consideration.
If the legislation becomes law, clocks would not revert to standard time in November and states would retain the option to opt out of year-round daylight saving time. The bill has the strong support of the president.
The House on Monday declined to take up an alternative proposal that would have established permanent standard time instead, rejecting a request for a vote on that option.
Earlier congressional action included a near-unanimous endorsement in a House committee and prior Senate approval. In May, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the measure by a 48-1 vote. The U.S. Senate had voted unanimously in March 2022 in favor of making daylight saving time permanent, though the House at that time did not advance the measure amid opposition.
The proposed change would permit states to opt out of year-round daylight saving time. Two states - Hawaii and Arizona - already do not observe daylight saving time.
Supporters of the bill argue the current clock changes contribute to sleep disruption and cite links to higher rates of workplace injuries and motor vehicle crashes in the days following the shifts. Proponents also say that having brighter evenings throughout the winter months could stimulate additional economic activity.
Opposition to the measure remains. Some critics, including a senator from Arkansas, have warned that permanent daylight saving time would push winter sunrises to much later hours, potentially requiring children in large parts of the country to travel to school in darkness.
The United States has previous experience with year-round daylight saving time. The country instituted it during World War Two and briefly enacted it again in 1974 with the aim of reducing energy consumption, but the 1974 effort proved unpopular and Congress repealed it within the same year.
With the House now having approved the bill, the next legislative step is consideration by the U.S. Senate. Lawmakers will need to reconcile remaining objections and reach agreement before any permanent change to clock-setting practices can take effect.