The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday approved legislation that would maintain daylight saving time throughout the year, advancing a measure long championed by proponents who argue the twice-yearly clock change does harm to public safety and commerce.
The Sunshine Protection Act passed the committee by a 48-1 vote and is expected to be considered for inclusion in a five-year transportation bill. If enacted, the law would keep clocks on daylight saving time year-round while allowing individual states the option to opt out.
Advocates of the measure point to a range of effects they attribute to the current practice of moving clocks twice a year. They say the time shift causes sleep disturbances, contributes to increased workplace injuries and is associated with more automobile crashes. Supporters also argue that longer, brighter evenings during winter months would encourage more consumer activity.
President Donald Trump publicly praised the committee vote on social media, writing it is "time that people can stop worrying about the 'Clock,' not to mention all of the work and money that is spent on this ridiculous, twice yearly production."
The bill still faces additional legislative hurdles. It must be approved by the full U.S. House and then be taken up by the U.S. Senate, where some opposition remains. Republican Senator Tom Cotton and other critics have argued the change would produce "absurdly late winter sunrises" and would require many children in large parts of the country to go to school in darkness during winter mornings.
Representative Vern Buchanan, who has introduced similar proposals each year since 2018, refiled the measure this year. The plan has particular popularity in his home state of Florida, where supporters say later winter evenings would provide more playable hours on golf courses and sports fields.
The U.S. Senate gave unanimous approval to a daylight saving time change in March 2022, but the House did not vote on that measure. Representative Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat, supported the current push, saying making daylight saving time permanent is "better for safety and will boost New Jersey’s tourism industry. Let’s stop changing the clocks twice a year."
Daylight saving time - the practice of setting clocks forward by one hour for the summer half of the year - has been observed in nearly all of the United States since the 1960s. The country has used year-round daylight saving time in the past: it was implemented during World War Two and again in 1974 as an attempt to reduce energy use, but the 1974 policy proved deeply unpopular and was repealed later that same year.
Legislative path and immediate implications
The committee vote clears the way for potential inclusion of the Sunshine Protection Act in a multiyear transportation bill, but congressional approval is not assured. The text would permit states to decline participation, preserving state-level discretion.
Stakeholders
- Lawmakers promoting the change highlight safety and commercial benefits, including tourism and leisure activities.
- Opponents emphasize the impact of darker winter mornings on children and commuters.
- State governments would retain the choice to opt out, affecting local implementation and regional variation.