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The Senate approved a bill to make daylight saving time permanent. The proposal was introduced by Republican Marco Rubio. It is called the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 (S. 623), which would make daylight saving time permanent across the country starting in 2023.
“Just this past weekend, we all went through that biannual ritual of changing the clock back and forth, and the disruption that comes with it. And one has to ask themselves after a while, ‘Why do we keep doing it? Why are we doing this?'” Marco Rubio said during the session.
He added: “This really began back in 1918 as a practice that was supposed to save energy, and since then we’ve adjusted it. Today, Daylight Saving Time, which started out as six months, was extended to eight months in 2005, clearly showing you where people’s preference [is].”
Maintaining Daylight Saving Time
In addition, the Republican highlighted the benefits of passing the initiative. “The benefits of Daylight Saving Time have also been accounted for in the research. For example, reduced crime as there’s light later in the day. We’ve seen decreases in child obesity. A decrease in seasonal depression that many feel during Standard Time.”
“The good news is that we can get this passed. We don’t have to keep doing this stupidity anymore. Why we would enshrine this in our laws and keep it for so long is beyond me,” he added.
The senator’s press team recalled that in 2018, the Florida Legislature enacted year-round daylight saving time. However, for Florida’s switch to be implemented, a change in federal statute is required.
Rubio’s office says that nineteen other states (Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wyoming) have passed similar laws and resolutions or voter initiatives.
“If passed by the House and signed into law by President Joe Biden, the Sunshine Protection Act would apply to those states that currently participate in DST, which most states observe for eight months out of the year. States and territories that currently remain on Standard Time year-around would continue to do so. Many studies have shown that making DST permanent could benefit the economy and the country,” the office noted.
