For The Second Time: Senators Reintroduce Daylight Saving Time Bill To Make It Permanent

According to CNN, several bipartisan senators reintroduced a bill hoping to make Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent.

A majority of U.S. states observe DST, which begins on the second Sunday in March at 2 am and lasts until the first Sunday in November at 2 am.

However, the Sunshine Protection Act introduced by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio calls for not “falling back” in the fall. Instead, the proposal wants to enjoy DST year-round. Evidently, the move would not affect the country’s current time zones or the number of eight hours of sunlight.

The bill was previously passed in Florida—Rubio’s home state—in 2018. However, for it to go into effect, there must be a change at the federal level as well. Fifteen other states–including California, which also voted to make DST permanent in 2018, and Washington in 2019—have passed similar legislation, the news outlet reported.

“The call to end the antiquated practice of clock changing is gaining momentum throughout the nation,” Rubio said in a statement on Tuesday.

Hawaii and Arizona do not practice the long-standing tradition of observing DST or the five major US territories—American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Island, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

Rubio says there would be multiple benefits to extending DST, including reducing the number of car accidents among Americans and reducing seasonal depression. He also added that the bill would help give families “more stability throughout the year.”

“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,” Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts voiced in support.