A bill to make daylight saving time permanent and end Americans’ biannual clock reset has passed the House for the first time in its history, setting up a fresh test in a Senate that blocked similar legislation just last fall.
The House approved Rep. Vern Buchanan’s Sunshine Protection Act, which would cement daylight saving time as the year-round standard, in a 308-117 vote.
GOP Rep. Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, the speaker pro tempore, celebrated the milestone by playing The Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun” in the chamber.
No prior version of this bill has passed the House, marking the first real legislative traction in a more-than-50-year effort to end the biannual time-change switch.
Mr. Buchanan, Florida Republican, said that his bill will help end the “outdated and unpopular practice of changing our clocks twice a year.”
“Twice a year, Americans are forced to change their clocks,” he said on the House floor. “These changes disrupt their schedule for no good reason. The outdated practice is frustrating for families, workers, schools [and] small business across the country.”
The bill, which Mr. Buchanan has introduced in each Congress since 2018, has a counterpart in the Senate, championed by Sen. Rick Scott, Florida Republican.
In October, Mr. Scott tried fast-tracking the bill through unanimous consent, but it was blocked.
A House win puts pressure on the Senate, but it does not force action.
Senate leadership could take up Mr. Buchanan’s directly, or Mr. Scott could try again to move his bill.
If it passes the Senate, it’s almost guaranteed that President Trump will sign it into law, as he has consistently vouched for its approval.
The Sunshine Protection Act is one of six proposals, and the only one introduced in the Senate, to ditch the biannual clock change. But lawmakers disagree on which time to make permanent: standard time or daylight saving time.
Standard time, often called “winter time,” aligns clocks closely with the sun, where noon coincides with when the sun is at its highest point. DST, dubbed “summer time,” advances clocks by one hour during warmer months to extend evening daylight.
Organizations such as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine support permanent standard time because it best aligns with human circadian rhythms. Conversely, DST aligns schedules with natural daylight, extending hours for outdoor activities.
Mr. Buchanan cited benefits to retail, tourism, youth sports and recreation. He argued that the extra hour of evening daylight would let businesses extend their hours and improve visibility for outdoor activity, ultimately supporting job creation.
Under the current Uniform Time Act, states may opt out of DST in favor of permanent standard time, as Hawaii and most of Arizona have done, but no state can currently adopt permanent DST. As 19 states have passed legislation or resolutions expressing support for permanent DST, Mr. Buchanan’s bill would flip the national default to permanent DST while letting states opt out in favor of standard time instead.
