Senators are re-tabling a bill to make daylight saving time permanent

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In the United States, most states observe daylight saving time – which begins on the second Sunday in March at 2:00 a.m. and ends on the first Sunday in November at 2:00 a.m. – for eight months of the year and four months of Standard Time.

But the Sunshine Protection Act, proposed by Republican Senator Marco Rubio, calls for not “backsliding” in November and instead enjoy daylight saving time year-round. It wouldn’t 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 take effect, it needs to be changed 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.
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“The call to end the outdated practice of changing the clock is gaining traction across the country,” Rubio said in a statement Tuesday.

Not everyone sticks to the tradition in the US – Hawaii and Arizona. The five major U.S. territories – American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Island, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands – also don’t observe daylight saving time.

In a recent statement, Rubio cited multiple benefits of extending DST, including reducing the number of car accidents Americans experience and helping reduce the risk of seasonal depression.

He said such legislation would provide families with “more stability throughout the year.”

Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts echoed Rubio in highlighting the benefits of extending DST.

“Studies have shown that 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 announce the Sunshine. Protection Act to add an extra hour of sunshine 365 days a year. “

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