House vote advances bid to end twice-yearly clock changes
The US House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly to make daylight saving time permanent, advancing a bipartisan effort to eliminate the twice-yearly clock change.
Members approved the Sunshine Protection Act by 308 votes to 117 on Tuesday. The bill, sponsored by Republican Representative Vern Buchanan of Florida, would lock in the clock setting currently used from March through November. In practical terms, that means daylight saving time would become the country’s permanent time standard, producing later sunrises and later sunsets during the darker months.
The distinction is important: the proposal is for permanent daylight saving time, not permanent standard time. Most Americans currently move their clocks forward in spring and back in autumn. Under the bill, that cycle would end, although states would have the option of opting out and remaining on permanent standard time.
The House rules committee approved the measure’s advance on a 6-4 vote on Monday. It now moves to the Senate, where Florida Republican Rick Scott introduced an identical Sunshine Protection Act in January 2025. The legislation is not yet law; the Senate would have to pass it, and any changes would require further action by the House before it could reach the president.
Bipartisan support, presidential backing
The measure has support from Republicans and some Democratic co-sponsors, reflecting years of growing interest in ending the clock changes. President Donald Trump has also backed the effort since returning to the White House.
In a May social-media post, Trump said he was “going to work very hard” to get a law passed. He described the twice-yearly change as a “ridiculous, twice yearly production” that consumes work and money, and called its adoption “a very nice WIN for the Republican Party.” In another post, he promoted what he called the “far more popular alternative, Saving Daylight,” arguing that it would provide a “longer, brighter Day.”
Buchanan said the clock changes disrupt schedules “for no good reason.” Before the vote, he argued that permanent daylight saving time could improve public health, reduce traffic accidents, lower crime and encourage more outdoor activity. Those benefits remain part of the political case for the bill, rather than settled conclusions accepted by all specialists.
The vote also produced a theatrical moment. Republican Representative Scott DesJarlais, who presided over the proceedings, played a clip of The Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun on his phone during the final count.
The argument over morning light
Supporters focus on the extra daylight in the evening, particularly during winter, when a later sunset could give people more time for outdoor activities and affect commuting, shopping and recreation. Opponents warn that the trade-off would be darker winter mornings. That could leave children, workers and other commuters travelling before sunrise, potentially creating more hazardous driving conditions.
Sleep medicine specialists have generally argued that permanent standard time is more closely aligned with human circadian rhythms because it preserves more morning light. Morning sunlight helps regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle, while permanently shifting the clock forward could make it harder for some people to sleep at conventional times. The central policy dispute is therefore not simply whether to stop changing clocks, but which of the two systems should become permanent.
Existing state arrangements illustrate the difficulty of imposing one national rule. Most states currently change their clocks twice a year, while Hawaii and most of Arizona do not participate. Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are also among the US jurisdictions that have opted out of the federal clock-changing system. The proposed legislation would give states a further route to remain on permanent standard time.
A long-running experiment
The United States first moved clocks forward during the summer around the time of the First World War, seeking to conserve electricity and fuel while extending afternoon daylight. The policy was unpopular with farmers and was repealed after the war. It returned during the Second World War, and Congress passed legislation in 1966 to standardize clock changes across much of the country.
The original energy-saving rationale has since become less straightforward as patterns of electricity use have changed. The debate now includes sleep, transport safety, crime, public health and how people use daylight outside working hours. Previous attempts to establish permanent daylight saving time have stalled in Congress, even as opposition to changing clocks has grown.
Nineteen states have passed laws or resolutions supporting permanent daylight saving time if Congress authorizes it. That condition is significant: states cannot independently impose permanent daylight saving time under the current federal framework, so congressional action is necessary for those measures to take effect.
The wider global picture
Daylight saving time is far from universal. Only about one-third of the world’s countries follow some form of it, and most of those countries are in Europe. In Europe, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Iceland, Russia and Turkey do not observe the practice. Egypt is the only African country that does.
The Senate’s handling of the bill will determine whether the House vote becomes a change in national policy or another step in a long line of stalled proposals. If senators approve the identical measure, the country would still face an implementation timetable and the possibility of state-by-state variation. The immediate question, however, is whether Congress can agree that ending the clock change is worth accepting either darker winter mornings or the health concerns associated with permanent daylight saving time.