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Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are launching a fresh push for a bill that would make the U.S. stick with daylight-saving time all year, with the move coming as most Americans are due to spring forward by an hour on March 12.
The Senate unanimously approved the measure a year ago, but the Sunshine Protection Act didn’t find traction last year in the House of Representatives, as the head of one key committee said it’s not clear whether it’s better to make daylight-saving time permanent or stick year-round with standard time, if a change from the status quo is to be made at all.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has argued for adopting year-round standard time and opposed the Sunshine Protection Act, saying in a statement Tuesday that its approach “best aligns with the body’s internal clock.”
The bill to make daylight-saving time permanent was reintroduced on Wednesday in both the Democratic-run Senate and the GOP-controlled House. Its backers in the Senate include Republicans such as Florida’s Marco Rubio and Oklahoma’s James Lankford, along with Democrats such as Minnesota’s Tina Smith and Oregon’s Ron Wyden.
“This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid. Locking the clock has overwhelming bipartisan and popular support. This Congress, I hope that we can finally get this done,” Rubio said in a statement Thursday.
Wyden said: “It’s time to put a stop to the twice-a-year time-change madness. Science and common sense show that more year-round daylight would improve our health, help kids spend a bit more time enjoying outdoor after-school activities, and encourage folks to support local businesses while on a sunny stroll in their communities.”
Two U.S. states don’t change their clocks at all — Hawaii and Arizona.
Now read: Six things worth knowing about daylight-saving time
And see: How daylight-saving time could impact your decision-making
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