House Passes Bill to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent across the United States, advancing a long-running effort to end the century-old practice of changing clocks twice a year. The Sunshine Protection Act (H.R. 139) passed in a bipartisan 308-117 vote and now moves to the Senate, where its prospects remain uncertain.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), would lock the nation into the daylight saving time observed from March to November each year, effectively eliminating the “spring forward” and “fall back” ritual. States would retain the option to opt out and remain on permanent standard time if their legislatures act before the bill’s enactment.

Background and Context

The United States has observed Daylight Saving Time in some form since 1918, when it was first adopted as a wartime measure during World War I. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 standardized the practice nationwide. A notable experiment with permanent DST in 1974, enacted during the oil crisis, was repealed in less than a year after widespread public backlash over dark winter mornings, as TIME reported.

Today, Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands do not observe DST. Nineteen states have already enacted legislation or passed resolutions to adopt permanent DST pending congressional approval, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Key Developments

Rep. Buchanan, who has introduced the Sunshine Protection Act each Congress since 2018, celebrated the vote as a major step forward. “Today, the House took an important step toward ending the outdated practice of changing our clocks twice a year by passing my bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act,” Buchanan said in a statement. “This commonsense legislation reflects what Americans have been saying for years: it’s time to lock the clock and make daylight saving time permanent.”

Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) spoke about the disruption caused by the biannual changes, noting how they affect families. “For decades, we have accepted this ritual of springing forward and falling back, even though it disrupts routines, throws off our sleep and creates unnecessary frustration for families across the country,” she said, as reported by Fox News.

President Donald Trump has publicly backed the bill, writing on Truth Social that he would “work very hard to see The Sunshine Protection Act signed into Law,” according to NBC News. The White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy supporting the legislation, calling it a “popular, common-sense reform.”

Opposition and Concerns

The bill drew opposition from lawmakers concerned about darker winter mornings. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) warned that “millions of Americans will wake up during the winter months in complete darkness with the sun not rising until long after people get up and travel to school or work,” as AP News reported.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), a key Senate opponent, has raised concerns about parts of the country where the sun would not rise until 9 a.m. or later, citing potentially dangerous morning commutes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) expressed caution, noting the failed 1974 experiment and saying, “I just don’t think we want a mandate.”

Public Opinion and Analysis

A 2025 AP-NORC poll found that 56% of Americans prefer permanent DST, while only 12% favor the current system of twice-yearly changes. Sleep experts, however, have argued that permanent standard time would better align with human circadian rhythms and improve health outcomes.

The bill’s 33 bipartisan cosponsors in the House and companion Senate legislation (S. 29) with 18 cosponsors suggest significant support, but the Senate path remains uncertain. A senior Hill aide told NBC News that Cotton has asked Thune not to bring the bill up for a vote, and several senators on both sides of the aisle have opposed the measure in committee.

What’s Next

The Sunshine Protection Act now awaits action in the Senate. While the House’s strong bipartisan vote could build momentum, the upper chamber’s cautious approach — shaped by the memory of the 1974 repeal and concerns from key senators — leaves the bill’s fate unclear. If passed and signed into law, the change would mark the most significant alteration to American timekeeping in over half a century.