Senate Unanimously Passes Bill to Adopt Permanent Daylight Savings Time, Ditch Clock Changes

What’s the story?

• The Senate cast a unanimous vote Tuesday to pass a bill that would end the practice of changing clocks twice per year to “spring forward” and “fall back” due to Daylight Saving Time (DST). 
• If the bill clears the House and is signed into law by the president, there will be light at the end of the tunnel for Americans who are tired of changing their clocks twice a year.

What does the bill do?

• Introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 would make DST permanent across the U.S. Currently, most of the U.S. operates under eight months of DST from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, with the remaining four months of the year on standard time. 
• If the bill becomes law, the U.S. would transition to year-round DST by not “falling back” in November during the year in which the change takes effect, and thereafter no more clock changes would be needed.
• An amendment introduced by Rubio and original cosponsor Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) would delay the implementation of this bill if it becomes law until November 2023 because airlines, railroads, and broadcasters have already built out schedules one year in advance based on the current practice remaining in effect.
• This means that if the bill is enacted in its current form, Americans would "fall back" for the last time this November, "spring forward" for the last time next March, then never deal with another time change so long as the law remains unchanged.
• Rubio’s bill has the support of 17 bipartisan cosponsors in the Senate, including nine Republicans and eight Democrats. It’s unclear when or whether the House will act on the Senate-passed bill, but legislation will have to clear both chambers to reach the president’s desk. A companion bill in the House sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) has the support of 33 bipartisan cosponsors, including 22 Republicans and 11 Democrats.

What they’re saying 

• Rubio discussed the history of DST and the twice-a-year clock changes on the floor and said, “I know this is not the most important issue confronting America, but it’s one of those issues where there’s a lot of agreement and I think a lot of people wonder why it took us so long to get here.”
• Rubio also cited data indicating an increase in heart attacks and traffic accidents during the weeks following the semi-annual clock changes, in addition to the difficulty in going about outdoor activities in the evening in northern parts of the country because the sun goes down around 5pm or earlier. He concluded:

“The good news is that if we can get this passed, we won’t have to keep doing this stupidity anymore. And why we would enshrine this in our laws and keep it for so long is beyond me, but hopefully, this is the year that this gets done. And pardon the pun, but this is an idea whose time has come.”

• Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) was the senator presiding over floor proceedings when the bill came up and quietly exclaimed, “Yes!” following its passage without objection. 

RELATED READING

• S. 623: Sunshine Protection Act of 2021
• LBJ Standardized Daylight Saving Time With the Uniform Time Act

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / BrianAJackson)