On Tuesday, March 15, the U.S. Senate, with basically no debate or warning, unanimously approved a bill called the “Sunshine Protection Act.” The act will make daylight savings permanent and would go into effect in November 2023 ending the twice-annual changing of clocks.
The White House has not stated if Joe Biden supports the bill or not. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican Senator for the state of Florida, states that he has no assurance that the House will take it up, but “it’s an idea whose time has come.”
However, most Americans support this bill. According to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center, only 25% of Americans prefer to switch back and forth between standard and daylight saving time
Some states also agree with the bill. The 18 states are Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi and Montana (2021). Idaho, Louisiana, Ohio (resolution), South Carolina, Utah and Wyoming (2020). Delaware, Maine, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington (2019). Florida (2018; California voters also authorized such a change that year, but legislative action is pending). Some states have commissioned studies on the topic including Massachusetts (2017) and Maine (2021).
The U.S. tried this idea before in the 1970s. They made daylight saving time permanent and people ended up hating it. The people of the U.S. thought it was too dark in the mornings. After most of the American people have already completed their daily commute on January 7th, 1974, the sun rose at 8:27 A.M
The Bill is in the process of being passed by the House of Representatives who are holding a committee meeting regarding the Sunshine Act before the bill is passed off to Biden to be signed.
