Key facts
- The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote this week on making daylight saving time permanent.
- A competing proposal, the Sunshine for Our Kids Act, seeks to establish standard time as the permanent national default.
- Supporters argue permanent DST reduces sleep disturbances and increases economic activity.
- Opponents express concerns about darker winter mornings and children going to school in darkness.
- The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a similar bill in March 2022, but the House did not vote on it.
- Hawaii and Arizona do not observe DST and could opt out of permanent DST legislation.
The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote this week on a bill to make daylight saving time (DST) permanent, a move that has divided lawmakers. The House Rules Committee will convene on Monday to determine which amendments, if any, will be considered before the full House votes on the measure. The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced the Sunshine Protection Act with a 48-1 vote, following a unanimous Senate approval of a similar bill in March 2022. Proponents argue year-round DST reduces sleep pattern disruptions, workplace injuries, and car accidents, while also stimulating economic activity through longer evening daylight. Conversely, the Sunshine for Our Kids Act, introduced by Representatives Pat Harrigan and Mary Gay Scanlon, proposes standard time as the permanent national standard, aligning mornings with natural light and supporting circadian rhythms. President Donald Trump has supported ending clock switching, but Senator Tom Cotton opposes permanent DST, citing concerns about late winter sunrises and children traveling to school in darkness. The U.S. previously implemented year-round DST during World War Two and in 1974, but both policies were repealed due to unpopularity. Hawaii and Arizona currently do not observe DST and would have the option to opt out of any permanent DST legislation.