The US House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved legislation to make daylight saving time permanent, moving to end the decades-long practice of changing clocks twice a year.
Lawmakers passed the bill by a 308-117 vote, sending it to the Senate for consideration. If enacted into law, clocks would no longer be turned back to standard time each November. States that do not currently observe daylight saving time, or those that had previously adopted permanent standard time, would still be allowed to opt out.
The legislation, known as the Sunshine Protection Act, has the backing of President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly called for an end to the twice-yearly clock changes.
In a statement on Tuesday, the White House said the measure “would eliminate the time, hassle, and cost involved in changing clocks twice a year, saving Americans hundreds of millions of dollars in value annually.”
Supporters of the bill argue that changing clocks disrupts sleep, increases workplace injuries and contributes to road accidents. They also contend that keeping clocks one hour ahead throughout the year would provide more evening daylight during winter months, encouraging greater economic activity.
However, opponents warn that permanent daylight saving time would result in significantly later winter sunrises, forcing many children to travel to school in darkness while affecting commuters, construction workers, farmers and others who begin work early. In some parts of the country, the sun would not rise until nearly 9 a.m. during the peak of winter.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas remains one of the leading critics of the proposal, arguing that the later winter sunrise would create unnecessary safety concerns for schoolchildren and workers.
The House on Monday rejected an alternative proposal that would have made standard time, rather than daylight saving time, permanent.
The aviation industry has also expressed reservations about the legislation. Airlines for America, which represents major US carriers, warned that the measure “would have considerable implications for aviation, including passenger disruption, crew and aircraft positioning, and domestic and international connectivity issues.” The group added that any transition would require sufficient implementation time to address global scheduling complexities.
The bill builds on momentum from earlier this year after the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved it by a 48-1 vote in May.
The Senate had previously passed similar legislation unanimously in March 2022, but the House did not consider the measure at the time due to opposition.
Hawaii and Arizona currently do not observe daylight saving time.
The United States previously adopted year-round daylight saving time during World War II and reintroduced it in 1974 in an effort to reduce energy consumption. However, the policy proved unpopular and Congress repealed it later that year.
Speaking in support of the latest legislation, Democratic Representative Frank Pallone said changing commuting and work patterns had reduced many of the concerns that previously surrounded permanent daylight saving time.
“It’s time to finally end the process of springing forward and falling back,” Pallone said.
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