House approves bill for permanent daylight saving time

The House has decided not to turn back the clock.

By a 308-117 vote, representatives approved a measure that would make daylight saving time permanent, The New York Times reported.

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The Sunshine Protection Act will eliminate standard time. According to CNN, proponents believe it would spare Americans from changing their clocks twice a year, prevent the disruption of children’s sleep schedules and provide more sunshine during times when citizens are most active.

Critics believe the measure would have negative economic consequences, particularly for farmers who would have to deal with the sun rising an hour later year-round, the cable news outlet reported. They also opposed the idea that children would potentially be waiting for school buses in the dark.

The measure now moves to the Senate, and whether it will pass remains unclear, the Times reported.

President Donald Trump is in favor of permanent daylight saving time, calling the ritual of “springing forward” and “falling back” a “ridiculous, twice-yearly production.”

Florida Republicans are particularly in favor of the bill.

Rep. Gus Bilirakis said Americans are ready to “ditch the switch,” The Associated Press reported.

“In my home state of Florida where tourism is a cornerstone of our economy, having more predictable daylight hours is a practical improvement that benefits workers, businesses and visitors alike,” Bilirakis said.

Rep. Vern Buchanan of the Tampa Bay area is also backing the bill, and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, another Tampa Bay-area Republican, cosponsored it, the Times reported.

“This common sense legislation reflects what Americans have been saying for years: it’s time to lock the clock and make daylight saving time permanent,” Buchanan said in a statement. “Permanent daylight saving time will improve public safety, promote healthier and more active lifestyles and give families more daylight to enjoy after work and school.

House members who voted against the bill said its biggest impact will come when daylight is shorter during the winter.

“Millions of Americans will wake up during the winter months in complete darkness with the sun not rising until long after people get up and travel to school or work or have to go about their days,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa.

Scanlon and Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., favored a bill earlier this month that would mandate standard time all year, the Times reported. Standard time currently runs between November and March each year.

Hawaii and most of Arizona abide by standard time year-round, along with Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands. There are 19 states that have moved to make daylight saving time permanent, the AP reported.

Congress first passed the Standard Time Act in 1918 and established federal oversight of time zones, according to the newspaper. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 said states can observe daylight saving time from late spring to early fall.

The last change to the nation’s clock changes came in 2005, when a bipartisan law was passed that extended daylight saving time for several weeks.

Congress previously tried to move to permanent daylight saving time, adopting a bill in 1974 at the height of an energy crisis, CNN reported. Lawmakers reversed course after it received negative reaction from the public.

Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass, said he supported the bill, but questioned whether it should be high on Congress’ list of priorities, the AP reported.

“For folks getting crushed by rent, groceries, utility bills and healthcare costs, is this really the best the majority can do?” McGovern said. “Is this really the most pressing issue before the American people at this moment?”

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