Current:Home > MyPermanent daylight saving time? Politicians keep trying to make it a reality. -NextFrontier Finance
Permanent daylight saving time? Politicians keep trying to make it a reality.
View
Date:2025-04-15 14:43:25
Americans are yet again preparing for the twice-yearly ritual of adjusting the clocks by an hour, and a group of politicians are sick of it.
Florida Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio have used the upcoming time change to remind Americans about the bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act the U.S. Senate unanimously passed in 2022 to make daylight saving time permanent. The bill was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023. Scott said in Friday a release the bill is supported by both lawmakers and Americans.
"It’s time for Congress to act and I’m proud to be leading the bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act with Senator Rubio to get this done," Scott said.
Most Americans - 62% - are in favor of ending the time change, according to an Economist/YouGov poll from last year.
To Change or Not to Change:Do Americans like daylight saving time? 6 in 10 want to stop changing their clocks. Do you?
Only Arizona (except for the Navajo Nation), Hawaii and the U.S. territories follow standard time yearound. In the rest of the country, standard time runs from the first Sunday of November until the second Sunday of March. But clocks spring forward an hour from March to November to allow for more daylight during summer evenings.
Federal law prevents states from following daylight saving time permanently.
Rubio's bill failed to make it to President Joe Biden's desk in 2022. Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan, R- Brandon, introduced the act in the House last March for the current congressional session.
"We’re ‘springing forward’ but should have never ‘fallen back.’ My Sunshine Protection Act would end this stupid practice of changing our clocks back and forth," Rubio said in a Tuesday release.
Time change bills across America
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 28 bills have been introduced this year regarding daylight saving time and 36 carried over from the previous legislative session.
About two dozen states are considering enacting permanent daylight saving time if Congress allowed such a change. Twenty other states have legislation under consideration to have permanent standard time.
Several states, NCSL said, have legislation dependent on their neighbors following the same time change.
We've tried this before, and it didn't go well
Daylight saving time was made official in 1918 when the Standard Time Act became law, but it was quickly reversed at the national level after World War I ended, only coming up again when World War II began. Since then, Americans have tried eliminating the biannual time change, but it didn't last long.
From February 1942 until September 1945, the U.S. took on what became known as "War Time," when Congress voted to make daylight saving time year-round during the war in an effort to conserve fuel. When it ended, states were able to establish their own standard time until 1966 when Congress finally passed the Uniform Time Act, standardizing national time and establishing current-day daylight saving time.
Most recently, amid an energy crisis in 1973, former President Richard Nixon signed a bill putting the U.S. on daylight saving time starting in January 1974. While the American public at first liked the idea, soon "the experiment ... ran afoul of public opinion," The New York Times reported in October 1974. Sunrises that could be as late as 9:30 a.m. some places in parts of winter became increasingly unpopular. It didn't take long for Congress to reverse course in October 1974.
Today, the public seems ready for another change, fed up with disruptions to sleep and routines, which research has suggested can contribute to health issues and even safety problems. For now, prepare to reset your clocks, and your sleep schedules, once again this Sunday.
Contributing: Celina Tebor, Emily DeLetter USA TODAY; USA TODAY Network-Florida
veryGood! (16)
Related
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- Some 2024 GOP hopefuls call for ‘compassion’ in Texas abortion case but don’t say law should change
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast pays homage to Andre Braugher
- Ben Roethlisberger takes jabs at Steelers, Mike Tomlin's 'bad coaching' in loss to Patriots
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- The Dodgers are ready to welcome Shohei Ohtani to Hollywood
- Far-right Polish lawmaker Grzegorz Braun douses menorah in parliament
- Turkish lawmaker who collapsed in parliament after delivering speech, dies
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Congress passes contentious defense policy bill known as NDAA, sending it to Biden
Ranking
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- Woman and man riding snowmachine found dead after storm hampered search in Alaska
- NFL isn't concerned by stars' continued officiating criticisms – but maybe it should be
- How Taylor Swift Celebrated Her Enchanting Birthday Without Travis Kelce
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Veteran Taj Gibson rejoining New York Knicks, reuniting with Thibodeau
- Oprah Winfrey opens up about using weight-loss medication: Feels like relief
- Father, stepmother and uncle of 10-year-old girl found dead in UK home deny murder charges
Recommendation
Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
Ireland’s prime minister urges EU leaders to call for Gaza cease-fire at their summit
Earliest version of Mickey Mouse set to become public domain in 2024, along with Minnie, Tigger
Kyiv protesters demand more spending on the Ukraine’s war effort and less on local projects
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
Israel vows to fight on in Gaza despite deadly ambush and rising international pressure
Lawmaker’s suspension means a possible special election and more trouble for U.K. Conservatives
Man charged with murder of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll