Semi-annual “spring forward” and “fall back” clock setting would end.
The Senate passed legislation that would make daylight-saving time permanent starting in 2023, ending the twice-annual changing of clocks in a move promoted by supporters advocating brighter afternoons and more economic activity.
The measure, called the Sunshine Protection Act, was passed unanimously by voice vote. The House of Representatives, which has held a committee hearing on the matter, must still pass the legislation before it can go to the president for signature.
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, one of the bill’s sponsors, said supporters argued the change would not take place until November 2023 after input from airlines and broadcasters.
Daylight saving time has been in place in nearly all of the United States since the 1960s after being first tried in 1918. Year-round daylight savings time was used during World War Two and adopted again in 1973 in a bid to reduce energy use because of an oil embargo and repealed a year later.
The bill would allow Arizona and Hawaii, which do not observe daylight saving time, to remain on standard time as well as American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For discernment for members of the House as they consider establishing Daylight Savings Time permanently.
- For wisdom for senators as they take up legislation addressing various issues facing the nation.
Sources: Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Reuters
