A group of bipartisan senators is reintroducing a bill that would make Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent.
In the United States, most states observe DST — which starts on the second Sunday in March at 2 a.m. and ends on the first Sunday in November at 2 a.m. — for eight months out of the year, and four months of standard time.
But the Sunshine Protection Act, proposed by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, calls for not “falling back” in November and instead enjoying DST year-round. It would not change the country’s current time zones or the number of hours of sunlight.
The bill was already passed in Rubio’s home state of Florida in 2018 — but in order to go into effect, it requires a change at the federal level. Fifteen other states — including California, which voted to make daylight saving time permanent in 2018, and Washington, which did the same in 2019 — have passed similar legislation.
“The call to end the antiquated practice of clock changing is gaining momentum throughout the nation,” Rubio said in a statement on Tuesday.
Not everyone observes the tradition in the US — Hawaii and Arizona don’t. The five major US territories — American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Island, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands — also do not observe DST.
In a recent statement, Rubio cited multiple benefits to extending DST, including reducing the number of car accidents Americans experience and helping reduce the risk of seasonal depression.
He said such legislation would help give families “more stability throughout the year.”
Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts echoed Rubio in highlighting the benefits of extending DST.
“Studies have found year-round Daylight Saving Time would improve public health, public safety, and mental health — especially important during this cold and dark COVID winter,” Markey said in a statement, adding that he is “proud to sponsor the Sunshine Protection Act to add an extra hour of sunshine for the full 365 days a year.”
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