Senate Passes Bill That Would Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

WASHINGTON (Gray News) - The U.S. Senate approved a bill that will make daylight saving time permanent.

The Senate unanimously voted on Tuesday in favor of the Sunshine Protection Act, according to The Hill. The bill would end the time change from daylight saving time to standard time, meaning Americans would no longer have to change their clocks twice a year.

Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse both tweeted on Tuesday about the bill’s approval.

“This is a big, sensible step forward,” Whitehouse announced on his Twitter.

The bill still needs to be approved by the House of Representatives before it can be signed into law.

Daylight saving time resumed on Sunday as many Americans set their clocks one hour ahead. Standard time will resume in November 2022. Reuters reported if the bill is signed into law, the change would not take place until November 2023.

According to an Associated Press poll, most Americans want to stop switching between daylight saving and standard time, but are divided on which should be used all year.

Members of Congress have long been interested in the potential benefits and costs of daylight saving time since it was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. The proposal will now go to the House, where the Energy and Commerce Committee had a hearing to discuss possible legislation last week.

Rep. Frank Pallone, the chairman of the committee, agreed in his opening statement at the hearing that it is “time we stop changing our clocks.” But he said he was undecided about whether daylight saving time or standard time is the way to go.

Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the original cosponsor of the legislation, said Tuesday, “Now, I call on my colleagues in the House of Representatives to lighten up and swiftly pass the Sunshine Protection Act.”

Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to the report. All rights reserved.