House passes bill to make daylight saving time permanent – What is the Sunshine Protection Act?
USA House of Representatives The Sunshine Protection Act passed on Tuesday would make daylight saving time (DST) permanent for much of the United States and eliminate the twice-yearly clock changes.
The bill passed the House on a bipartisan vote of 308 to 117 but still needs Senate approval to become law. If this bill is enacted, Americans in most states will no longer turn their clocks forward or back in the spring or fall. Instead, Daylight Saving Time will be in effect year-round.
President Donald Trump has publicly backed the proposal, calling the current practice of changing clocks twice a year “ridiculous.” He has repeatedly supported permanent daylight saving time. He said in a social media post in May that Americans preferred a “longer, brighter day” and called changing clocks twice a year outdated.
Florida Republicans, including Reps. Vern Buchanan, Anna Paulina Luna and Gus Bilirakis, led the latest push for the legislation.
Also read: Daylight Savings Time 2026: When does it start and end? Which states don’t change their clocks?
What is the Sunshine Protection Act?
The House vote follows years of debate over whether the U.S. should eliminate seasonal clock changes. Congress last modified daylight saving time in 2005, extending it by a few weeks through the Energy Policy Act. Before that, the Uniform Time Act of 1966 established rules for time changes nationwide, and the Standard Time Act of 1918 established federal oversight of time zones.
The new bill would amend existing federal law to establish permanent daylight saving time nationwide. Under existing rules, most states switch to daylight saving time in March and return to standard time in November.
If the permanent daylight saving time proposal passes the Senate, clocks will no longer revert to standard time in November; however, states that do not currently observe year-round daylight saving time or choose to adopt permanent standard time before the law is changed can opt out.
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and others continue to oppose the bill. Cotton said permanent daylight saving time would force children in many parts of the country to go to school in the dark, causing sunrises to rise much later in the winter.
Americans remain divided
Supporters say ending the twice-yearly clock changes would improve sleep, reduce workplace injuries and road accidents and provide more nighttime daylight, boosting economic activity.
But critics argue that permanent daylight saving time would delay winter sunrise, leaving children, commuters and outdoor workers traveling in the dark. In some areas, the sun doesn’t rise until around 9 a.m. in the winter.
Some people will realize that this shift will cause sunset to be an hour later during the cold Midwest winters, but it will also cause sunrise to be later, which could pose a risk to public safety.
Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania instead supported legislation to establish permanent standard time. She said morning light helps regulate the body’s internal clock and increases alertness, while darker nights naturally prepare the body for sleep.
